LabCentral 238 Opens with Focus on Scale-Up Bio-Manufacturing

Kendall Square's first co-working lab and bio-manufacturing space is based on founding sponsorships from Astellas Pharma Inc. and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LabCentral, the first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential biotech startups, today announced the grand opening of LabCentral 238, its newest facility in Kendall Square that is focused on scale-up bio-manufacturing.

Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito along with representatives from Astellas and LabCentral will be discussing the news at a facility grand opening event at 10 a.m. at LabCentral 238.

Key Facts:

• Originally announced in 2019, LabCentral 238 was supported by the founding sponsorships of Astellas Pharma Inc. and MLSC as well as additional sponsors Thermo Fisher Scientific and Waters Corporation.
  
  
• LabCentral 238 features 100,000 square feet of space – tripling LabCentral's overall lab space – and establishing a unique pipeline of facilities from initial start-up bench science (LabCentral 700) to growing startups (LabCentral 610) and finally scale-up bio-manufacturing (LabCentral 238) – all in Kendall Square.
  
  
• LabCentral 238 has capacity for up to 13 early-to-mid stage companies and supports the transition from R&D bench-scale science into scalable product of pre-clinical material as resident companies design and test the processes for their compounds prior to full-scale GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) production.
  
  
• LabCentral 238 already is home to more than 184 researchers, technicians, scientists and entrepreneurs from 11 companies, including Asimov, Codagenix, Kernal Biologics, Mediar Therapeutics, NextPoint Therapeutics, Nvelop Therapeutics, Satellite Bio, Seismic Therapeutic, Tevard Biosciences, TreeFrog Therapeutics and Vedere.

Executive Quotes:

• "The Life Sciences Center is incredibly proud to support this exciting next chapter for LabCentral supporting the evolving needs of our ecosystem's innovative startups. As it relates to biomanufacturing, we need to think big and act boldly. This facility is a standout example of public-private partnership in action that will bring new therapies to patients faster."
  
  -   Kenn Turner, MLSC President and CEO 
  
  
• "The grand opening of LabCentral 238 is the result of a lot of hard work by our team collaborating with a community of sponsors that share a vision of creating a state-of-the-art bio-manufacturing facility in the heart of Kendall Square. More importantly, there are now innovative drugs and therapies being tested and scaled inside LabCentral 238 that underscore our broader mission of accelerating the discovery, development and manufacturing of innovative new drugs and therapies to impact human health."  
  
  -   Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president of LabCentral

A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral was founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high potential life-sciences and biotech startups. Operating a total of 150,000 square-feet in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., LabCentral offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 76 startups comprising approximately 600 scientists and entrepreneurs. More information is available at www.labcentral.org.

SOURCE LabCentral