ONO PHARMA USA Announces 2025 Golden Ticket CompetitionNow Accepting Applications from Innovative Startups

Ono Partnering with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs for Fifth Consecutive Year

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ONO PHARMA USA today announced partnerships with LabCentral in Cambridge, Mass., and MBC BioLabs in San Francisco and San Carlos, CA to award each organization one Golden Ticket for an innovative life sciences startup company. The competition is sponsored by ONO PHARMA USA's parent company, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Ono), and applications will be received through May 2025.

The Golden Ticket awards provide two promising early-stage R&D companies lab space and mentorship, components that are vital to the success of promising life science businesses. The competition seeks proposals from startup companies in the oncology, immunology, neurology, and specialty areas. The Golden Tickets Ono is sponsoring will provide one outstanding applicant lab space and related services at each of the partner locations, as well as mentorship from Ono's  renowned researchers and business leaders across its global network. LabCentral and MBC BioLabs have partnered with Ono since 2021. Eight companies have won a Golden Ticket, including Leverna, a biotech based in Cambridge, Mass., that specializes in the RNA regulatory processes and regulate gene expression and protein function, and DeepSeq.AI, a San Francisco biotech dedicated to creating new antibody/protein with generative AI and data generation.

Interested applicants may submit their non-confidential company presentations to:

• LabCentral, by May 30, to: https://www.labcentral.org./. The Golden Ticket winner will receive a $50,000 credit towards space available at LabCentral's flagship site in Kendall Square for use within a 13-month period, beginning upon receipt. Residents have access to a full range of services, equipment, and amenities.
• MBC BioLabs, by June 6, to: https://mbcbiolabs.com/featured/ono-golden-ticket-2025/. Winners will receive one-year free lab space at MBC BioLabs in San Francisco and San Carlos, and access to its shared amenities and services.

Initial submissions will be accepted for each location, Cambridge, San Francisco and San Carlos, and reviewed by Ono's internal committee. Finalists for each location will be notified and invited to present to Ono in person or virtually at the end of July. Winners will be presented with the Golden Tickets shortly after that.

In 2021, Ono entered sponsorship agreements with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs, organizations that support the development of biotech startups and entrepreneurs by providing access to comprehensive laboratory facilities and technologies. Ono has long been a proponent of collaboration in R&D and credits its open innovation model for supporting key scientific breakthroughs over the years.

"As longtime believers in open innovation and the power of partnerships, we are excited to be partnering with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs to offer this Golden Ticket competition," said Kunihiko Ito, President and CEO of ONO PHARMA USA. "We encourage companies who are doing outstanding work in Ono's four focus areas – oncology, immunology, neurology, and specialty medicine – to apply. It's our goal to deliver first-in-class medicines to patients who are waiting for them, by leveraging startup technology and Ono's expertise."

About ONO PHARMA USA

ONO PHARMA USA, established in 1998 as the U.S. subsidiary of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., is pursuing the clinical development of new drug candidates. In addition, ONO PHARMA USA is engaged in promotion of the discovery alliances and licensing activities to expand Ono's development pipeline and pursue the commercialization opportunities in the U.S. For more information, please visit https://us.ono-pharma.com/.

About Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. delivers innovative therapies for patients worldwide. Upholding its philosophy of "Dedicated to the Fight against Disease and Pain," Ono targets areas with unmet medical needs including oncology, immunology and neurology, and fosters partnerships with academic and biotech organizations to accelerate drug discovery. Through its affiliate, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Ono is accelerating clinical development and commercial operations in the US and Europe to drive global business expansion and further its commitment to patient care. For more information, please visit the company's website at https://www.ono-pharma.com/en.

About LabCentral

A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral is a launchpad for high potential life-sciences and biotech startups with 225,000 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 www.labcentral.org.

About MBC BioLabs

MBC BioLabs is dedicated to helping life-science startups succeed. By renting space as small as a single lab bench and providing these entrepreneurial scientists with access to millions of dollars of equipment, MBC BioLabs allows companies to be fast, focused, and frugal. It has five sites: two in the Mission Bay neighborhood in San Francisco and three campuses in San Carlos, California. Each site has a complete molecular biology core facility that allows companies to do experiments on day one. MBC BioLabs has partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and life-science companies as well as a built-in venture capital firm, Mission BioCapital. These partnerships provide entrepreneurs with valuable insights about where to focus their efforts and accelerates the innovation pipeline. Since opening in 2013, MBC BioLabs has helped launch and grow over 350 companies. These companies have brought over 175 programs into the clinic, produced 13 approved diagnostics, and raised over $20 billion. For more information, please visit the website at www.mbcbiolabs.com.

SOURCE ONO PHARMA USA, INC.