Latest news with #LabCentral238
Harvard Business Review
07-04-2025
- Health
- Harvard Business Review
Building Effective Partnerships to Power Life Sciences Innovation - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM ASTELLAS
By Tadaaki Taniguchi For people living with serious diseases, science has the potential to change everything. Twenty-five years into what many have called 'biology's century,' rapid advancements in our understanding of molecular biology, genetics, and biotechnology are unlocking the extraordinary properties of living systems to improve lives and redefine what is possible in medicine. Exciting advances in immuno-oncology, targeted protein degradation (TPD), and cell and gene therapy, along with precision medicine, hold tremendous promise to transform outcomes for people living with cancer, vision loss, and rare diseases. Realizing the full potential of these exciting new modalities requires collaboration and coordination across the life-science ecosystem—from the bench to the bedside—starting at the earliest stages of drug discovery. As a trained surgeon who transitioned into a career in the pharmaceutical industry, I've witnessed first-hand the vital importance of collaboration between academia, biotech, and the broader pharmaceutical sector in answering one simple question: How can we better help the next patient? This is especially true in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area, where collaboration has played a significant role in driving some of the most important advances in modern medicine. By partnering with leading institutions like Mass General Brigham, LabCentral, and UMASS Chan Medical School, we can accelerate progress and expand research frontiers by merging drug discovery expertise with academic leadership. Our partnerships extend beyond academic walls, to organizations such as MassBio and the Longwood Fund, which enable us to connect and collaborate with leading innovators doing cutting-edge research. Successful collaborations are built on open communication and a shared commitment to both risks and rewards. These partnerships thrive when there is a balance between academic freedom and commercial objectives, empowering researchers to drive groundbreaking science within a culture of continuous learning, all while ensuring real-world impact. This spirit of collaboration is a driving force behind the Astellas Life Sciences Center (ALSC) in Cambridge, Mass., allowing us to tap into the rich insights and experience of the vibrant local life-science community. With 400 employees, ALSC houses such key functions as medical and development, translational medicine, drug discovery, and business development. The ALSC is also home to Astellas' first U.S.-based SakuLab: an open innovation space designed to help us engage with external partners. It joins SakuLab-Tsukuba, the company's first incubator space, located at our flagship research campus in Japan. By collaborating with biotech companies at the forefront of adeno-associated virus gene therapy research and sharing lab communities such as LabCentral 238 in Boston's Kendall Square, Astellas' strategy is to push the boundaries of science in complex novel areas like cell and gene therapy, oncology, and ophthalmology. Our work in these complex areas is fueled by our nearby Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, our global hub for pioneering the development and manufacturing of regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies. These are all key components of our effort to build an innovation network across Massachusetts, connecting biotechnology leaders, academia, and other local partners. By working together, we can drive progress for patients in an ecosystem that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Chris Coburn, Chief Innovation Officer at Mass General Brigham, notes the importance of collaboration. 'Innovative partnerships, like ours with Astellas, are pivotal in bridging scientific discovery and real-world patient impact,' he says. 'By uniting academic excellence with industry expertise, we are accelerating advancements in oncology, rare diseases, and cell and gene therapy, creating new opportunities to address unmet medical needs.' So, how can we better help the next patient? By forging powerful partnerships, we will broaden our pipeline, unlock new treatments, and shape the next generation of life-changing medicines. Tadaaki Taniguchi is the Chief Research & Development Officer at Astellas Pharma, where he leads the company's global R&D efforts to drive innovation and advance transformative therapies.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ajinomoto Co., Inc., through its subsidiary Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc., Announces Gold Sponsorship of LabCentral: Accelerating Innovation in Biotechnology
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11, 2025 /CNW/ -- Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a global leader in biotechnology and food innovation, proudly announces its sponsorship of LabCentral, a premier launchpad for high-potential life sciences and biotech startups located in the heart of the Greater Boston biotechnology community. This partnership underscores the Ajinomoto Group's commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and scientific advancement in this rapidly evolving sector and thriving ecosystem. The sponsorship is in full alignment with the Ajinomoto Group's purpose to contribute to the well-being of all human beings, our society, and our planet with "AminoScience" and its cutting-edge technologies, including innovations in cell and gene therapy, amino acid, and protein sciences. The Ajinomoto Innovation Strategy Development Team in particular is fully committed to supporting the thriving biotech ecosystem in Cambridge and Massachusetts. LabCentral, located in Cambridge, provides startups with the laboratory space, resources, and community necessary to translate breakthrough ideas into viable solutions. The Ajinomoto Group's sponsorship will enhance LabCentral's ability to support promising ventures in areas such as drug discovery, cell and gene therapy, and other transformative life sciences fields. "LabCentral represents the nexus of innovation and opportunity in biotech, and the Ajinomoto Group is honored to support its mission of empowering next-generation startups," said Dr. Ikuo Kira, Executive Officer & Vice President, General Manager, North America Division. "This sponsorship reflects our dedication to nurturing groundbreaking research and providing the resources that innovators need to succeed." Dr. Johannes Fruehauf, CEO and co-founder of LabCentral said, "We are honored to have the Ajinomoto Group as a Gold sponsor of LabCentral and General sponsor of LabCentral238, and we welcome them to the Cambridge life sciences community. We are confident that their expertise in many areas of biotechnology, including cell and gene therapy, will be incredibly valuable to our resident startups, and the broader biotechnology ecosystem here in Massachusetts." Through this collaboration, the Ajinomoto Group will engage with pioneering biotech entrepreneurs, leveraging its expertise and technology platforms to help accelerate their development journeys. For more information about the Ajinomoto Group and its initiatives, please visit Additional information about LabCentral can be found at About Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ajinomoto Group, a global leader in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of amino acid-based products for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, sports nutrition, health and beauty industries, as well as food ingredients. The company opened its first U.S. office in New York in 1917 and has since grown and expanded its presence, establishing offices and production facilities in North Carolina, Iowa, and Illinois. Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. leverages an international manufacturing, supply, and distribution chain to bring the highest-grade products to customers. For additional information on Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc., please visit About LabCentral A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral is a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups with 243,000 square feet of space across Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., and the Harvard University campus. Founded in 2013, LabCentral offers a full complement of programming and networking to life sciences entrepreneurs in addition to fully permitted laboratory and office space for early-stage and growing life sciences companies. More information is available at Media Contact: Andrea Rodriguez, arodriguez@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc View original content to download multimedia:
