Eisai and BioLabs Partner to Create the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs

Companies launch neurology-focused incubator at Eisai's G2D2 facility in Cambridge, Mass.

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Feb 02, 2021, 14:39 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. and BioLabs announced today the launch of the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs, a shared lab and office space for start-ups aiming to innovate in the complex field of neurological diseases. The incubator space is located at the Eisai Center for Genetics Guided Dementia Discovery (G2D2) facility and will become part of BioLabs' national biotechnology network.

"We are excited to announce this collaboration with BioLabs," said Nadeem Sarwar, Ph.D. and President of G2D2. "This specialized incubator will be the first of its kind. With BioLabs' focus on building ecosystems that foster rapid innovation combined with G2D2's state-of-the-art technology to support neurological research, we believe the creation of the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs will fuel new scientific discoveries and insights. With more than 50 million people globally living with dementia¹, there has never been a greater need for the discovery of novel approaches to prevention and treatment."

Housed in the G2D2 facility, the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs aims to host five to seven neurology-focused start-ups and provide the infrastructure and support to help build their biotech companies. The facility was custom-designed for discovery research, including capabilities for in-vitro biology, molecular and cellular biology including BioSafety Level 2 tissue culture, microscopy, chemical and structural biology and screening. Companies hosted at this incubator will have the opportunity to access the BioLabs network, and interact with the Eisai network, including G2D2 and Eisai's investment arm, Eisai Innovation Inc.

"Launching this incubator space in partnership with BioLabs is an important milestone in our relentless pursuit of a cure for neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, and the fulfillment of our human health care mission. In this new specialized model, we want to advance beyond offering only co-working space," said Vanessa Almendro, MBA, Ph.D. and Head of Strategy and External Innovation at G2D2. "By providing scientific support and enabling potential collaborative opportunities, the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs is pioneering in providing unique, broad and tailored support to the most prominent biotech companies developing transformative therapies, devices and digital solutions for patients suffering from neurological disorders."

The integration with BioLabs, a national, membership-based network of shared lab and office facilities located in key biotech innovation clusters, empowers companies to rapidly launch their operations in a full-equipped, ready-to-use facility, while collaborating with other innovators in the field.

"The custom-designed space at G2D2 is an ideal home for the Eisai Innovation Center BioLabs. The open-lab layout naturally fosters integration between entrepreneurs, all focused on understanding and advancing the field of neurological diseases. Interacting with a community of peers, specifically within a specialized area of research, sparks collaboration and can significantly fast track a start-up's evolution," said Adam Milne, Chief Operating Officer at BioLabs.

A joint selection committee with members of Eisai Inc., Eisai Innovation Inc. and BioLabs representatives will select the companies to be invited. The selection committee will prioritize start-ups focused on neurology, aligned with Eisai's human health care mission and showing strong potential to develop curative therapeutics. To learn more about the incubator, visit our website.

About Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care (hhc) is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to discover and develop innovative therapies to help address unmet medical needs.

Eisai is a fully integrated pharmaceutical business that operates in two global business groups: oncology and neurology (dementia-related diseases and neurodegenerative diseases). Our U.S. headquarters, commercial and clinical development organizations are located in New Jersey; our discovery labs are in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; and our global demand chain organization resides in Maryland and North Carolina. To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Eisai Innovation, Inc.
Eisai Innovation, Inc. (EII) is a subsidiary of Eisai Inc. It is a strategic investment organization aspiring to identify synergies between the scientific community and the Eisai network of companies. EII contributes to our human health care (hhc) mission by prioritizing disease prevention, prediction and treatment through global investments and research collaboration.

About G2D2
Eisai Center for Genetics Guided Dementia Discovery (G2D2) is the first research center focused on immunodementia. As part of Eisai's Neurology Business Group, G2D2 draws upon Eisai's cutting-edge strengths in human genetics, data sciences and precision chemistry to accelerate discovery of breakthrough immunodementia precision therapeutics.

G2D2 is located in the Alewife Research Center in the Alewife area, in the north-west part of Cambridge, which is one of the world's leading biotechnology clusters where private research organizations in addition to academic institutions such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University are concentrated. Leveraging the benefits of the location, a research space that can be used by external organizations will be set up at G2D2 to enhance collaboration with outstanding researchers and open innovation initiatives to promote immunodementia drug discovery.

About BioLabs
BioLabs is a membership-based network of shared lab facilities located in the nation's key biotech innovation clusters, designed exclusively for high-potential, early-stage life science companies. It offers co-working environments that pair premium, fully equipped and supported lab and space with unparalleled access to capital and industry partners. Find out more at https://www.biolabs.io/

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