The Golden Ticket will help to boost the biotech startup's capabilities and to develop further the emerging biotech ecosystem in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, March 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global biotechnology company Amgen and NSG BioLabs, Singapore's largest and leading provider of biotechnology (biotech) co-working laboratories and offices, announced Albatroz Therapeutics as the winner of the first Amgen Golden Ticket in Singapore. Albatroz Therapeutics will be rewarded a one-year free residency in NSG Biolabs' fully-equipped, turnkey, and certified BSL-2 laboratory, as well as additional facility benefits and connections to Amgen's scientific and business leaders.

The Amgen Golden Ticket winner was chosen by an internal team of Amgen scientific leaders at a virtual pitch event. In the final round of the competition, 5 finalists pitched their business plans before Amgen's internal scientific committee that evaluated the strength and novelty of the participants' scientific rationale, subject matter expertise and business plan viability. Albatroz Therapeutics was announced as the winner at an award ceremony held at the Amgen Singapore Manufacturing facility on 15 March, where Singapore Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr. Alvin Tan, was the guest of honour. In addition to accessing NSG BioLabs' capabilities, the award winner's access to a vast network of scientific and business leaders is a key proponent of the Golden Ticket prize – which Albatroz Therapeutics can now leverage to execute its scientific goals.

"Amgen's exciting new partnership with NSG BioLabs at Biopolis is contributing to the evolution of Singapore's biotech ecosystem – aligning with our mission to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients everywhere. We are excited about the universal cancer therapy and anti-arthritic platform being developed by Albatroz Therapeutics in Singapore, and we look forward to engaging with the team as they help to advance the leveraging of novel biotherapeutics to treat grievous illnesses plaguing our world today," said Alan Russell, Vice President, Biologics Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen.

Launched in early 2022, the Golden Ticket sponsorship^[1] was the first sponsorship announced by the NSG Tomorrow Program to accelerate the growth of innovative biotech startups and aid them in executing their vision. NSG Tomorrow seeks to provide crucial support, network access, and environment to empower ambitious biotech startups. With two more Amgen Golden Tickets being up for grabs over the next two years, Amgen and NSG BioLabs stand by their commitment to achieving a shared vision of helping biotech startups grow and facilitating Southeast Asia's transition into a regional biotech powerhouse.

"Singapore is looking to generate a good pipeline of therapeutic assets that will contribute to the health of people in Singapore and around the world. To achieve this, the right infrastructure and resources are necessary to enable the growth of biotech startups here. Amgen and NSG BioLabs are key players that the Singapore Government has anchored in the ecosystem. We are happy to support this partnership, as it provides mentorship and support that can accelerate a startup's journey in this space," said Soh Leng Wan, Assistant CEO, Manufacturing and Engineering, Enterprise Singapore.

Launched in 2019, NSG BioLabs has helped its resident startups achieve notable breakthroughs, achieving over S$100 million in funds raised, major partnerships, and new product launches since 2020. Albatroz Therapeutics now joins over 20 local and international resident companies with diverse expertise in transformative and life-changing technologies and applications ranging from genome editing to cancer immunotherapy, artificial intelligence, neurodegeneration drug discovery, precision medicine, synthetic biology and more.

"The Amgen Golden Ticket is a transformative prize for biotech startups as it addresses the pressing concerns of a lack of resources, access, and support. Our dynamic winner, Albatroz Therapeutics, will join our diverse community of residents that already includes successful scientific innovators such as L'Oréal Research & Innovation and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, in addition to promising local startups like Engine Biosciences and ImmunoScape. With them having access to our state-of-the-art equipment and space, we look forward to witnessing future developments that Albatroz will lead," said Daphne Teo, CEO and Founder of NSG BioLabs.

For more details about the NSG Tomorrow and Amgen Golden Ticket, visit nsgtomorrow.com

About NSG BioLabs

Founded with a focus on supporting early-stage biotech companies, NSG BioLabs offers state-of-the-art equipment, efficient operations, capital efficiency, the expertise of world-class teams and global networks to incubate and assist emerging life sciences companies. The conducive R&D environment contains fully-equipped, certified BSL-2 laboratory and office infrastructure across 22,000 sq ft in the prime location of Biopolis. 

With access to a global network and a shared set of skills and experience with its strategic partners, NSG BioLabs ensures that biotech startups can execute on their cutting-edge research and development ecosystem in Singapore, leading to the innovation of revolutionary technologies and products that translate into breakthrough biotech ventures and impact for patients.

For more information, visit www.nsgbio.com

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing, and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also part of the Nasdaq-100 index. In 2021, Amgen was named one of the 25 World's Best Workplaces™ by Fortune and Great Place to Work™ and one of the 100 most sustainable companies in the world by Barron's.

For more information, visit www.amgen.com 

About Albatroz Therapeutics

Albatroz Therapeutics Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based biotechnology company developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics to treat solid tumours and arthritic disorders. The novel technology was developed by the founders' team at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore. Founded in 2020, the company holds an exclusive licence for rights to the technology patent portfolio. The company's unique proprietary target is involved in extracellular matrix degradation, a process critical to tumour growth and metastasis as well as synovial membrane destruction in arthritis.

For more information, please visit http://www.albatroztherapeutics.com