CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Venture Management LLC (President: Kazunori Maruyama, Ph.D., "AVM"), a wholly-owned venture capital subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., and LabCentral, a launchpad for early-stage life-sciences startups, today announced their collaboration on the "Future Innovator Prize" formerly known as the Astellas Golden Ticket Competition. The Future Innovator Prize offers entrepreneurial scientists or emerging biotechnology start-ups one-year usage of LabCentral's state-of-the-art lab facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as access to Astellas' research and development (R&D) capabilities and business leaders.

Astellas' sponsorship of the Future Innovator Prize follows AVM obtaining Gold Sponsorship of LabCentral in October of 2019. With a shared commitment to discovering and advancing innovative science for the potential future benefit of patients worldwide, Astellas and LabCentral are proud to support scientists and early stage companies to accelerate their novel therapeutic programs, modalities or platforms.

"External innovation is critically important in helping us achieve our VISION of turning innovative science into VALUE for patients," said Maruyama, President, AVM. "Combining our R&D capabilities and expertise with LabCentral's established network and launchpad in the Boston area, we look to bring hope to patients worldwide by partnering with emerging biotechnology companies and transforming their ideas into reality."

"We are extremely pleased to be working with Astellas to foster life-science innovation in the Boston area," said Johannes Fruehauf, LabCentral Co-founder and President. "Our labs offer a fertile environment in which biotechnology visionaries can thrive by providing them with the space and resources they need to test out, challenge, and nurture early ideas. We are excited that Astellas has chosen to create the Future Innovator Prize program to supplement their external innovation initiatives."

About the Future Innovator Prize at LabCentral
Astellas is offering up to two Future Innovator Prizes for pioneering scientists with innovative research that complements Astellas' areas of interest that fit with the Astellas Focus Area Approach and pipeline, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience including neuromuscular and sensory disorders.

Companies awarded an Astellas Future Innovator Prize will gain one year's priority admission or renewal to LabCentral's state-of-the-art laboratory as well as access to Astellas' R&D scientists and leaders. Time for submitting applications for the competition is from Wednesday August 18, 2021 to Monday September 20, 2021. Entrepreneurial scientists, emerging life-science or biotech start-ups are encouraged to apply and can learn more about the opportunity at http://www.astellasfutureinnovator.com. The decision to award any Future Innovator Prize, and the assessments underlying such decision, are solely the judgment of Astellas and LabCentral, and are not subject to objection or appeal.

About Astellas Venture Management LLC
AVM is the wholly-owned venture capital organization within Astellas, dedicated to supporting pre-clinical, cutting-edge science that can bring VALUE to patients. For over 15 years, AVM has provided equity investments to private, early-stage companies developing therapeutic programs and platform technologies, helping them to advance their innovations faster. AVM is a strategic investor, making investments in science that will enhance the current Astellas R&D pipeline or that could catalyze new directions in discovery research. For more information, please visit our website at https://astellasventure.com.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. Our strategy is based on a Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases of high unmet medical needs by focusing on the intersections of biology with the appropriate modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+^® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology from different fields. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.

About LabCentral
A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral was founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high-potential life sciences and biotech start-ups. Operating a total of 100,000 square-feet in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., LabCentral offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 70 start-ups comprising approximately 500 scientists and entrepreneurs. More information is available at www.labcentral.org and @labcentral.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts but may be forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.