Astellas Launches Shared Lab Space For Biotech Innovators and Researchers In Massachusetts

Astellas Pharma has opened a new life sciences hub in Massachusetts, set to host 400 employees and a cutting-edge incubator lab. This center features the company's first U.S.-based SakuLab, designed for collaboration with external partners. The term "saku," which translates to "to bloom" in Japanese, reflects the lab's mission to nurture innovative and diverse ideas, as stated in a release on September 5.

The Cambridge facility aims to strengthen the state's innovation ecosystem by connecting incubators, biotech startups, and academic institutions. Additionally, it will house a specialized unit for small molecule engineering, focusing on targeted protein degradation—a promising approach to addressing previously "undruggable" targets. Teams from Astellas’ medical, business development, and research divisions will operate out of the new center.

Astellas Chief Medical Officer Tadaaki Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., mentioned in the company's release, "Our new Astellas Life Sciences Center and open innovation SakuLab will advance our efforts to deliver breakthrough therapies and novel modalities, with a focus on areas of high unmet need. It will also strengthen our partnerships with local academic institutions and biotech innovators, underpinning our commitment to pursue transformative treatments in oncology, ophthalmology and rare diseases for patients in need.”

The center's launch comes after the 2020 introduction of the Astellas Institute of Regenerative Medicine in Westborough, focused on advancing regenerative and cell-based therapies. The opening also coincided with news that Astellas' gene therapy division is closing a production facility in California, a decision that could impact about 100 workers, though the exact repercussions are still unclear.

According to a WARN notice, at least 17 employees are being laid off from the biomanufacturing site. Astellas plans to transfer all ongoing projects and programs to its Gene Therapies facility in Sanford, North Carolina, a company spokesperson told Fierce Pharma. Astellas Gene Therapies, established by Astellas Pharma in 2021, wrapped up construction on a $100 million manufacturing plant in North Carolina last year.

An Astellas spokesperson told Biospace, “The consolidation of our operations is a planned step aimed at further improvements in our manufacturing capabilities. We are confident this move will allow us to enhance efficiency and better serve our patients and partners’ needs.”

In May, Astellas Pharma opened a new $90 million, 154,000-square-foot lab and office facility in South San Francisco. This hub consolidates the company's West Coast teams, including those from research, technical operations, medical, development, and commercial services, who were previously scattered throughout the Bay Area. According to an Astellas spokesperson, the closure of another manufacturing site in California is unrelated and will not impact staff at the new innovation center.