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Octagon Therapeutics and Thymmune Therapeutics will each receive one year of bench space for one scientist at LabCentral, adjacent to Pfizer’s campus in Cambridge, Mass.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – July 22, 2021 – LabCentral, a network of premier laboratory and co-working facilities for high-potential biotech start-ups, today announced that Pfizer has selected Thymmune Therapeutics (a cell therapy company working in immunology) and Octagon Therapeutics (working in autoimmune diseases and oncology) as the winners of this year’s Pfizer Golden Ticket Program. Each Golden Ticket will provide these startups with a voucher for one year of prepaid rent for a reserved bench space for one scientist, including certain benefits of shared infrastructure and services.

“We are incredibly grateful for Pfizer’s congoing sponsorship of LabCentral and for their help in recognizing and supporting innovative life sciences companies conducting research in Massachusetts,” said Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and president, LabCentral. “We are thrilled to continue to host Octagon Therapeutics and Thymmune Therapeutics, and we look forward to their ongoing pursuit of groundbreaking science alongside our community of entrepreneurs.”

“At Pfizer, we understand that the path to changing patients’ lives begins with early-stage research and the passionate work of scientists at the bench,” added Uwe Schoenbeck, Ph.D., Pfizer’s Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Emerging Science & Innovation. “We are proud to reward innovative science through the Golden Ticket Program to support the next generation of potential breakthroughs – and to provide these deserving start-up companies with resources in the life sciences hub of Kendall Square. Our relationship with LabCentral is yet another way Pfizer seeks to enable external innovation, alongside our commitment to partnering and collaboration to push forward great science.”

This is Pfizer’s seventh year as a LabCentral platinum sponsor.

Golden Ticket winners and their use and receipt of a Golden Ticket are subject to all terms and conditions of the Golden Ticket Program. A listing of winners (including city of residence, date of receipt of the prize, and approximate value of the Golden Ticket) can be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the following address on or after November 15, 2021: Pfizer Inc., Attention: Site Affairs, 1 Portland St., Cambridge, MA 02139.

“We are excited and honored by this recognition from Pfizer, as it further reinforces our commitment to serving patients with unmet need across immunology through our thymic engineering platform and cell therapies. This Golden Ticket allows us to push forward our innovative R&D efforts at the heart of the Kendall/Central Square biotech ecosystem and extends our resources for the important scientific work involved in taking our therapeutic approach to the clinic for patients in dire need.”

– Stan Wang, MD, PhD, Founder & CEO, Thymmune Therapeutics

“We are extremely excited to receive a Pfizer Golden Ticket to support Octagon’s research. Being part of the vibrant LabCentral community in the top biotech hub will enable Octagon to grow and to accelerate our efforts – ultimately supporting the development of novel treatments for patients with autoimmune disease. We’re incredibly grateful for the support provided by Pfizer and LabCentral as we continue to advance this exciting science.”

– Isaac Stoner, MBA, President & CEO, Octagon Therapeutics

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.