CAMBRIDGE, MA–LabCentral, the first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential biotech startups, announced a total of $22.4 million in sponsorship commitments for LabCentral 238, a fully functional life sciences laboratory with a focus on scale-up bio-manufacturing.
Thermo Fisher Scientific and Waters Corporation join Astellas and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MSLC) as sponsors. Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) South of Main Street (SoMa) Development in the heart of Kendall Square’s innovation hub, LabCentral 238 is currently under construction and is expected to open in November 2021.
Key Facts:
- Serving start-ups at a more advanced stage from LabCentral’s current base of resident companies at its existing facilities, LabCentral 238 will bridge the gaps that fast-growing start-ups are experiencing as they design and test the processes for their compounds prior to full-scale GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) production.
- Originally announced in October 2019, LabCentral 238 was started with a Founding Sponsorship from Astellas, a grant from the MLSC and key support from MITIMCo (MIT Investment Management Company). New sponsorship commitments include Thermo Fisher Scientific and Waters Corporation with additional sponsorship commitments expected.
- LabCentral already has commitments from two companies to occupy space when LabCentral 238 opens, including one researching gene therapies for rare diseases and another developing a rapid, low-cost molecular diagnostic platform.
- Aligned with the new LabCentral Ignite initiative, LabCentral 238 also presents the opportunity to expand and diversify the skilled workforce to support bio-manufacturing and life sciences technical talent for the Massachusetts economy.
“LabCentral 238 continues our mission of creating new facilities and opportunities to accelerate science through public-private partnerships,” said Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president of LabCentral. “We welcome our new sponsors as we collaborate to help high-potential start-ups begin their process development activities much earlier and create a new community around bio-manufacturing including the development of a more diverse and inclusive biotech workforce.”
