Amgen and The Lundquist Institute have awarded Diadem Biotherapeutics, Inc. with the first Amgen Golden Ticket in Southern California. Diadem will receive one year of lab space at BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute (TLI) as well as additional facility benefits and connections to Amgen’s scientific and business leaders.
 
The 2021 Amgen Golden Ticket winner was chosen by an internal team of Amgen scientific leaders. Five finalists pitched their business plans before Amgen’s internal committee that evaluated the strength and novelty of their scientific rationale, subject matter expertise and business plan viability. This is the first of three Amgen Golden Tickets to be awarded over the next three years to help accelerate life science start-ups in Southern California.
 
“Amgen’s partnership with BioLabs LA at The Lundquist Institute (TLI) recognizes the rapid growth of bioscience innovation in the Los Angeles area and aligns with our aspiration to bring breakthrough therapies for patients. We are enthusiastic about the exosome technology that is being advanced by Diadem Biosciences, and look forward to engaging with the team as they advance novel immunotherapies to treat serious illness” – Philip Tagari, Ph.D., vice president of Therapeutic Discovery at Amgen
 
“We are honored to have our approach to therapeutic signaling endorsed by an expert judging panel of Amgen’s leading scientists. With the extensive resources at BioLabs LA and access to Amgen expertise we can accelerate the development of a new class of therapeutics that has the potential to enhance patient-care outcomes across a range of diseases. That BioLabs LA is now at full capacity speaks to the ambition of biotech startups in Los Angeles, and the fertile ground of this ecosystem,” said Mickey Pentecost, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer, Diadem Biotherapeutics, Inc.