Bristol-Myers Squibb Awards First “Golden Tickets” for LabCentral to PanTher, Suono Bio
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) and LabCentral, an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launch pad for life-sciences and biotech
startups, today announced that PanTher and Suono Bio are the winners of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Golden Tickets for LabCentral. As a
platinum sponsor of LabCentral, Bristol-Myers Squibb can select up to two innovative life-sciences and biotech startup companies
per year of active sponsorship for “Golden Tickets,” which underwrite the cost of one lab bench for one year in LabCentral’s
Kendall Square facility.
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“PanTher and Suono Bio are working to deliver innovative technologies that have the potential to impact patients with serious
diseases, and we’re pleased that the Golden Tickets will enable them to advance their research,” said Carl Decicco, Ph.D., Head of
Discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Our sponsorship of LabCentral, and the awarding of Golden Tickets to these two companies, align
with our strategy to encourage scientific innovations in our disease areas of focus, from academia through early development.”
“Bristol-Myers Squibb has made an excellent selection of its first two Golden Ticket winners – we know them both well,”
commented LabCentral Co-Founder and President Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D. “Both have the potential to make major inroads against
devastating diseases using novel approaches to drug delivery. We are excited to have them join in the vibrant ecosystem of the
LabCentral community and look forward to watching as these companies move down the path toward success.”
A pre-clinical-stage company, PanTher Therapeutics is working to revolutionize the treatment of inoperable, locally advanced
solid tumors − studying the direct delivery of existing, already proven chemotherapy agents directly onto the tumor for consistent,
slow release over time. The company designed its novel delivery method to potentially eliminate the toxicity and debilitating side
effects that chemo agents can produce when delivered systemically through traditional IV or oral administration. Its first
potential indication is pancreatic cancer, a particularly lethal disease that affects more than 53,000 Americans annually, where
excruciating symptoms arise from the primary mass invading nearby vital organs. By changing the route of administration to target
just the tumor, PanTher is designed to increase the amount of drug reaching the intended destination with the aim to enhance
therapeutic efficacy. Eliminating adverse outcomes may also help to lower healthcare costs. Pancreatic cancer accounts for about
three percent of all cancers in the U.S. and about seven percent of cancer deaths. A privately held company, PanTher is completing
pre-clinical studies prior to initiating human trials and exploring opportunities for partnerships to expand its product
pipeline.
Suono Bio, a preclinical stage company, has developed breakthrough technology − the “SuonoCalmTM” system − designed
to potentially enable ultra-rapid delivery of therapeutics across tissues, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Preclinical
studies have demonstrated that the ultrasound-based technology can deliver small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids locally and
systemically, validating further study of the SuonoCalm system. Designed as an easy-to-use device to enable patients to
self-administer medication at home, the SuonoCalm technology may also be applicable to a broad set of conditions outside of the GI
tract.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative
medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us
at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
About LabCentral (www.labcentral.org ; twitter @labcentral)
A 28,000 square-foot facility in the heart of the Kendall Square, Cambridge, Mass., a biotech innovation hub, LabCentral is a
first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. It offers
fully permitted laboratory and office space for early-stage companies comprising approximately 125 scientists and entrepreneurs.
LabCentral provides first-class facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel, a domain-relevant expert speaker
series—as well as the other critical services and support that startups need to begin laboratory operations on day one. A private,
nonprofit institution, LabCentral was funded in part by a $5 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with
support from its real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Triumvirate Environmental and Johnson & Johnson
Innovation.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements
are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or
change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking
statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many
uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in
Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and
our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Media:
Chrissy Trank, 609-252-5609
christina.trank@bms.com
or
Investors:
Bill Szablewski, 609-252-5894
william.szablewski@bms.com
or
LabCentral
Caroline Grossman, 781-771-5579
cgrossman@labcentral.org
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