CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) and LabCentral today announced that the nomination process to submit proposals to receive an Amgen-sponsored LabCentral Golden Ticket is open for interested life sciences and biotech startup companies. LabCentral is an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for premier high-impact life sciences and biotech startups. As one of LabCentral's platinum sponsors, Amgen can nominate up to two early-stage companies each year to take up residence in LabCentral's Kendall Square facilities in Cambridge, Mass.
"Opening the nomination process for the next Golden Ticket winners is always an exciting time for Amgen," said Aine Hanly, vice president of Process Development and Amgen Massachusetts site head. "We enjoy learning about the innovative research taking place at early-stage companies throughout Massachusetts, with the expectation to reward the ones with the most promise and potential to thrive and move their science forward into solutions."
"We're thrilled that Amgen is continuing its strong commitment to our startup community through support of our Golden Ticket program," said Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D., cofounder and president, LabCentral. "When you speak with previous winners, a common refrain is how the Golden Ticket ends up being even more of an accelerant than they expected. The strong mentorship and advice they receive from the Amgen team is invaluable: it lets them avoid obstacles and meet milestones more efficiently."
The 2017 Golden Ticket nomination process opened on Oct. 6, 2017. During this round, Amgen will sponsor up to two promising life sciences and biotech startup companies to reside in LabCentral's facilities. The Golden Ticket represents one year of bench space for one scientist, including benefit of LabCentral's shared infrastructure and services (such as conference rooms, permits, shared equipment and facilities, participation in LabCentral training modules and seminars).
Interested companies should send non-confidential company presentations for consideration to www.surveymonkey.com/r/AmgenGoldenTickets by Nov. 3, 2017.
Since the collaboration launched in 2014, Amgen has awarded Golden Tickets to Novopyxis, Cocoon Biotech, Platelet Biogenesis, Holobiome and Torus Therapeutics.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About LabCentral (www.labcentral.org; twitter @labcentral)
LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory workspace in the heart of the Kendall Square, Cambridge, biotech innovation hub. Designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups, it offers everything startups need to begin laboratory operations on day one and move their science forward faster and more cost-efficiently. This includes: fully permitted laboratory and office space, first-class facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel, a domain-relevant expert speaker series ‒ as well as the other critical services and support. A private, nonprofit institution, LabCentral's first site opened in 2013, thanks to a capital grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with support from its real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Triumvirate Environmental and Johnson & Johnson Innovation. To accommodate demand for its growing startups, LabCentral, with support from Pfizer, Inc., plans to open LabCentral 610 in December 2017. In 2018, LabCentral will have capacity to serve a total of ~450 scientists and entrepreneurs in about 66 companies across its two-building campus.
Contact:
Amgen, Massachusetts
Jennifer Bianco, (401) 392-8815
biancoj@amgen.com
LabCentral, Massachusetts
Caroline Grossman, (781) 771-5579
cgrossman@labcentral.org
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SOURCE Amgen
