Amgen Sponsors Golden Ticket at BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute to Help Accelerate Life Science Startups

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced a three-year, Golden Ticket sponsorship of the BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute (TLI) life sciences co-working space to accelerate the development of new therapies, medical devices, and diagnostics to advance and improve human health. The BioLabs at TLI shared laboratory space was created to help high-potential life science and biotech startups overcome key obstacles for many early stage organizations, including: access to laboratory infrastructure, programming, and business development mentorship.

As part of the sponsorship, Amgen will launch one "Amgen Golden Ticket" award each year for three years, providing winners with one year of lab space at BioLabs as well as additional facility benefits and connections to Amgen's scientific and business leaders.

"Recognizing the growing biotech ecosystem in Southern California, Amgen's sponsorship of the Golden Ticket with BioLabs aims to further foster early-stage life science companies right in the backyard of Amgen's headquarters," said Philip Tagari, Ph.D., vice president of Therapeutic Discovery at Amgen. "It's very rewarding to be part of the growing energy, reach, and enthusiasm of the many talented scientific entrepreneurs across the broader Los Angeles area. BioLabs is a model for how life science startups can grow and thrive in a rapidly emerging bioscience community."

"Having Amgen join BioLabs at TLI as a significant sponsor sends a clear message about how Los Angeles has progressed as a major bioscience hub and how far our shared laboratory facility has come in just over a year of operation," said Keith B. Hoffman, Ph.D., senior vice president of Business Development and Technology Transfer at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "I'm extremely proud that we were able to bring the BioLabs organization to Los Angeles and that the BioLabs facility at TLI now houses the highest concentration of promising bioscience startups in the greater Los Angeles region. This partnership with Amgen represents another significant step in the rapid expansion and reach of the Los Angeles bioscience community within and surrounding counties in Southern California. I'm honored to add Amgen's substantial reputation and reach to our member companies already in the space, and those who will join us in the future."

"We're thrilled that Amgen has joined as our newest sponsor and look forward to working with the Amgen team to support these early-stage entrepreneurs and to help accelerate development of new therapies to improve human health," said BioLabs President & CEO Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D. "With their deep expertise as developers of biotech-based drugs, Amgen is an ideal partner for many of BioLabs' resident companies working on promising new biopharmaceuticals."

Amgen supports life science start-ups through Golden Ticket awards and affiliated engagement in other Biotech Innovative hubs, including San Francisco, Boston and Toronto.

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 The Lundquist Institute: Research with reach™
The Lundquist Institute is an engine of innovation with a global reach and a 68-year reputation of improving and saving lives. With its new medical research building, its state-of-the-art incubator, "BioLabs at The Lundquist," existing laboratory and support infrastructure, and a 15-acre tech park in the planning stages, the Lundquist Institute serves as a hub for the Los Angeles area's burgeoning biotech scene. The research institute has over 100 principal investigators (Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and M.D./Ph.D.s) working on more than 600 research studies, including therapies for numerous, and often fatal orphan diseases. Find out more at https://lundquist.org.

About BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute
Encompassing the entire third floor of The Lundquist Institute's new Medical Research Lab building, BioLabs LA offers shared lab facilities designed for high-potential, early-stage life since companies. BioLabs creates co-working communities that pair premium, fully equipped and supported lab and office space with unparalleled access for entrepreneurs to networking, industry partners, and capital. Find out more at https://www.biolabs.io/la.

CONTACT:

Amgen
Jessica Akopyan, (805) 447-0974, [email protected] (media)

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Keith B. Hoffman, Ph.D., (310) 974-9301, [email protected] 

BioLabs LA
Gary Olsem, (310) 618-6892, [email protected] 

SOURCE Amgen