On January 10, 2022 Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) and BioLabs LA at the Lundquist Institute reported that Karma Biotechnologies has been awarded the second Amgen Golden Ticket in Southern California (Press release, Amgen, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598493]). Karma Biotechnologies will receive one year of lab space at BioLabs LA at the Lundquist Institute (TLI) as well as additional facility benefits and connections to Amgen’s scientific and business leaders.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The Amgen Golden Ticket winner was chosen by an internal team of Amgen scientific leaders at a virtual pitch event. Five finalists pitched their business plans before Amgen’s internal committee that evaluated the strength and novelty of their scientific rationale, subject matter expertise and business plan viability. This is the second of three Amgen Golden Tickets to be awarded through 2023 to help accelerate life science start-ups in Southern California.
Perspectives on announcement:
"Amgen’s partnership with BioLabs LA at the Lundquist Institute is contributing to the acceleration of bioscience innovation in the Los Angeles area, aligning with our vision to progress the development of breakthrough therapies to serve patients suffering from serious illness. We are enthusiastic about the Xavine platform being developed by Karma Biotechnologies, and look forward to engaging with the team as they advance novel therapies to treat autoimmune diseases." – Philip Tagari, vice president of Therapeutic Discovery at Amgen
"BioLabs LA at the Lundquist Institute is very pleased to participate in another successful Golden Ticket round with Amgen, a true pioneer in biotechnology. After seeing how well the first awardee is performing, under Amgen’s generous guidance, we are excited to see the innovation that spurs from this year’s winner, Karma Biotechnologies. It is such an honor to be a part of the collaborative network that is growing here in LA." – Lindsay Bourgeois, Site Director, BioLabs LA
"We are thrilled and deeply honored that the experts at Amgen see the value and novelty of our Xavine tolerogenic vaccine platform for treating and preventing autoimmunity and allergies. Having access to the phenomenal resources at BioLabs LA and Amgen’s clinical development expertise will rapidly accelerate Karma’s R&D, and help us make a difference in patients’ lives that much sooner. Collaborations such as these have fueled an explosion in the quality and quantity of biotech startups in the Los Angeles ecosystem in recent years, from therapeutics to biomanufacturing to agricultural technology. Karma is proud to be part of LA’s vibrant, collaborative and growing biotech ecosystem." – Andrew Gray, PhD, Co-founder and CEO, Karma Biotechnologies
Amgen supports life science start-ups through Golden Ticket awards and affiliated engagement in other Biotech Innovative hubs, including San Francisco, Boston and Toronto. Karma Biotechnologies is the 26th Golden Ticket winner since program inception in 2014.