CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mass Innovation Labs, an accelerated chemistry and biology commercialization space, announced today the arrival of two new member companies, C4 Therapeutics and Gritstone Oncology, into their 124,000 square foot lab space in Kendall Square. C4 Therapeutics, a startup focusing on developing a new class of targeted protein degradation therapeutics, occupies 20,000 square feet of space at Mass Innovation Labs. Gritstone Oncology is working to develop next-generation personalized cancer therapeutics.
Both Gritstone Oncology and C4 Therapeutics were able to start work quickly through Mass Innovation Labs’ Jumpstart program, which can reduce the typical start-up time of four to six months to as little as less than two weeks. This allows companies to move into state-of-the-art laboratory space rapidly, with Mass Innovation Labs providing support for setup, workflow, biosafety and other operational programs to help companies work efficiently and effectively.
“Mass Innovation Labs provides an ideal space within the leading scientific community of Kendall Square for us to conduct our research,” said Andrew Allen, M.D., Ph.D, co-founder, president and CEO of Gritstone Oncology. “They made it possible to reduce the standard start-up time by several months, supporting rapid initiation of our research program to bring personalized cancer immunotherapies to patients. Having the ability to begin work so quickly is like being able to buy time.”
C4 Therapeutics recently entered into a collaboration with Roche, and has obtained $73 million in Series A funding led by Cobro Ventures, with additional investments from Cormorant Asset Management, The Kraft Group, EG Capital Group, angel investors, Roche and Novartis. C4 holds a license from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that provides worldwide exclusivity for all applications of the Degronimid™ platform, an innovative small molecule solution for potent, targeted and rapid protein degradation for the treatment of a broad range of diseases.
“The time between receiving funding to occupying our space at Mass Innovation Labs was remarkably short,” said Jason Fisherman, M.D., CEO of C4 Therapeutics. “The time we saved by choosing Mass Innovation Labs for our lab program is invaluable, allowing us to move ahead with our research at a critical time in our development.”
With the additions of Gritstone Oncology and C4 Therapeutics, Mass Innovation Labs is nearly at capacity just nine months after the first member company moved into the Kendall Square facility. Current member companies represent more than $1 billion in combined research and development capital.
About Mass Innovation Labs
Mass Innovation Labs embodies an ecosystem of innovators in its 124,000-square-foot first-class chemistry and biology space in the heart of Kendall Square. We provide comprehensive solutions for growing companies, including animal facilities, on-site CRO support, co-located CRO services and operational needs. Our goal is to reduce the time for teams to overcome hurdles in achieving milestones. For more information, please visit www.massinnovationlabs.com or join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
