Astellas Pharma, BioLabs Global and Mitsui Fudosan have agreed on a tri-party Memorandum of Understanding to enhance the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba and Kashiwa-no-ha, Japan, world-renowned science hubs.

With this agreement, the three companies will partner to advance SakuLab-Tsukuba, an open innovation hub launched by Astellas in October 2023, and embark on a journey to accelerate open innovation and enhance the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba, Kashiwa-no-ha and the surrounding areas. 

Under this agreement, BioLabs, renowned for its shared laboratories and programing to support life science startups and connect the global life science industry, will support Astellas by bringing its expertise to ensure seamless facility management. It will also co-host networking events for residents and provide them with opportunities to connect with a global life science ecosystem.

Mitsui Fudosan, operates "MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWA-NO-HA 1", a rental lab facility in Kashiwa-no-ha that supports tenants' open innovation activities. Astellas established TME iLab open innovation hub for research of tumour microenvironment in Mitsui Fudosan's "MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWA-NO-HA 1". Under this agreement, Astellas and Mitsui Fudosan will collaborate to enhance this planned life science ecosystem in Tsukuba, Kashiwa-no-ha and the surrounding areas.

Astellas will prepare ready-to-use experimental facilities for SakuLab^TM-Tsukuba in its Tsukuba Research Center, one of their flagship research centers. It will support academia and startups working on innovation by leveraging its drug discovery capabilities and provide networking opportunities between residents and Astellas researchers.