CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen
(NASDAQ:AMGN) and LabCentral announced that Cocoon Biotech, Torus
Therapeutics, and Holobiome are the winners of Golden Ticket
awards. Sponsored by Amgen, the Golden Ticket awards underwrite the
cost of a lab bench for a scientist from each organization to
reside in LabCentral's open lab for one year. LabCentral is an
innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for
premier high impact life-sciences and biotech startups. Amgen
entered into a multi-year platinum-level sponsorship with
LabCentral in late 2014.
Amgen awarded a second Golden Ticket to Cocoon to ensure
continuity of working within LabCentral for an additional year and
thus support further progression of the startup's early development
program. Founded in 2013 to bring treatments for arthritis and
other debilitating diseases to market, Cocoon's platform technology
is a biocompatible silk protein that can be injected into joints to
provide effective long-lasting pain relief and potentially delay
the progression of disease. The platform is designed to leverage
several unique properties of the silk protein fibroin, including
strength, lubrication and biocompatibility.
"Cocoon is thrilled to receive a second Golden Ticket
from Amgen," said Ailis
Tweed-Kent, chief executive officer and founder of Cocoon
Biotech. "In addition to providing lab space, Cocoon has networked
with Amgen scientific experts who have been instrumental to
Cocoon's success. The opportunity to interact with world-class
bioscience visionaries is priceless and has without a doubt
accelerated our progress. We look forward to continuing this
progress as we aim to improve the lives of those suffering from
osteoarthritis."
Torus Therapeutics is a seed-stage biotechnology company that is
developing transformative gene therapies for severe genetic and
rare diseases.
"LabCentral is where we wanted to be: top-notch facilities,
surrounded by smart, focused people — puzzling through many of the
same science and business challenges that we are," said
Mark D. Angelino, chief operating
officer of Torus Therapeutics. "Having our first year covered takes
enormous pressure off a young company like ours and we are
enormously grateful to Amgen to help make it possible."
Holobiome is developing bacteria into therapy for mental health
disorders. The company's lead product is a consortium of
neurotransmitter-modulating human gut bacteria, with potential
applications beyond mental health.
"It's an honor to be awarded Amgen's Golden Ticket," said
Philip Strandwitz, Ph.D., chief
executive officer and founder of Holobiome. "Having the expansive
support of Amgen and access to LabCentral's facilities will help
catalyze Holobiome's rapid entrance into the arena of microbiome
therapeutics, with an initial focus on mental health
disorders."
"We are delighted to award three innovative and forward-looking
companies with a Golden Ticket," said Aine
Hanly, vice president of Process Development and site head
of Amgen Massachusetts. "The winners align with Amgen's strategy to
encourage scientific innovation within our research focus areas.
We look forward to seeing how these companies will thrive
within LabCentral and develop solutions that have the potential to
address critical patient heath needs."
"It's been enormously gratifying to see the tremendous success
and popularity of our Golden Ticket program," said Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and
president of LabCentral. "Each sponsor has tailored its Golden
Ticket sponsorship in its own way to suit its particular company
needs. Amgen has really gone all-in − highlighting its support of
LabCentral internally and actively encouraging employee
participation with us as a key part of its mission of inspiring
innovation in next-generation 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)
A 28,000 square-foot facility in the heart of the Kendall
Square, Cambridge, biotech
innovation hub, LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory
space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and
biotech startups. It offers fully permitted laboratory and office
space for early-stage companies comprising approximately 125
scientists and entrepreneurs. LabCentral provides first-class
facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel,
a domain-relevant expert speaker series ‒ as well as the other
critical services and support that startups need to begin
laboratory operations on day one. A private, nonprofit institution,
LabCentral was funded in part by a $5
million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center,
with support from its real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Triumvirate
Environmental and Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
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