CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN)
and LabCentral today announced that Kernal Biologics Inc. and
QurAlis have won the Amgen Golden Ticket at LabCentral. The two
Golden Ticket winners were chosen by an Amgen internal committee
and live audience members at a "Quick Pitch" event hosted by Amgen
at its Cambridge R&D and Operations facility on Dec. 11, 2017. Five finalists pitched their
business plan to attendees where the audiences' input represented
one vote of the overall results, along with the Amgen internal
committee's voting decision.
As one of LabCentral's platinum sponsors, Amgen can nominate up
to two early-stage companies annually to take up residence in
LabCentral's Kendall Square facilities in Cambridge, Mass. 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). Amgen scientists also
provide informal mentoring. LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind
shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential
life sciences and biotech startups.
"The event captured the essence of why Amgen is committed to
contributing to and collaborating in the Cambridge biotech ecosystem. Not only were we
evaluating ideas from five very strong startup companies advancing
innovative science right in our own backyard, but we could be
joined by our industry colleagues with a diverse set of backgrounds
to assess the best innovations to help bring forward," said
John Dunlop, vice president of
Neuroscience at Amgen. "Awarding the Golden Tickets to Kernal
Biologics Inc. and QurAlis aligns with Amgen's ongoing research
focus within oncology and neuroscience."
Kernal Biologics Inc. develops therapeutic messenger RNAs via
deep learning for immuno-oncology applications. Kernal's unique
methods of sequence engineering and smart design are intended to
develop a technology platform that will dramatically improve the
efficacy of existing mRNA technologies.
"We are honored to be awarded with an Amgen Golden Ticket at
LabCentral," said Yusef Erkul, M.D.,
president at Kernal Biologics Inc. "With Amgen's scientific
guidance and LabCentral's innovative and supportive
environment, this award will greatly enhance our research efforts
to bring safe, tolerable and efficacious mRNA medicine to patients
with acute myelogenous leukemia."
QurAlis develops precision medicine for treatment of
patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). QurAlis
is currently developing therapies for three different forms of
ALS with known disease mechanisms which include: a transformative
device to remove toxic proteins; a drug that mediates overactive
neurons and prevents them from dying; and a drug that restores a
dysfunctional waste clearance system in cells. Success with any of
these therapies will have a tremendous impact on ALS patients and
their families.
"We are extremely excited to win the Amgen Golden Ticket," said
Kasper Roet, Ph.D., founder and
chief executive officer at QurAlis. "The space and
facilities at LabCentral will enable QurAlis to enhance our
ALS patient-derived stem cell platform, which we will use in the
development of all three of our therapeutic programs. It is also an
incredible testament to our team, progress and potential for
developing therapies for ALS patients."
In 2014, Amgen began sponsoring the Golden Ticket program with
LabCentral to assist high-potential life sciences and biotech
startups in their efforts to continue further research in advancing
unique approaches to treatments for serious conditions. Amgen has
awarded LabCentral Golden Tickets to five innovative startups:
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