Worcester, MA (September 8, 2023) – Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), the longest-running nonprofit life science startup incubator in the Commonwealth, announced today that Biocytogen, a global life sciences company that began at MBI, has committed to donate $375,000 to MBI’s Blue Beaker Campaign to help fund the development of its new pilot Biomanufacturing Center. Biocytogen provides integrated solutions for next-generation antibody drug discovery to the global biomedical communities.

“We are grateful to Biocytogen for this donation to the future of the life sciences cluster in Central Mass,” said Jon Weaver, President and CEO of MBI. “There is nothing more exciting to us than seeing one of our graduate companies achieve such incredible success bringing lifesaving products to patients. Receiving a contribution like this from a company that got its start at MBI is incredibly meaningful. We are thrilled to have played a part in Biocytogen’s success and look forward to seeing what comes next from them.”

Powered by cutting-edge gene editing technologies, Biocytogen was founded at MBI in 2008 to provide custom gene editing services to clients. After graduating from MBI, Biocytogen established its headquarters in Beijing, and opened sites in greater Boston and Shanghai in 2018. During this period, the company developed a seamlessly integrated platform for efficient antibody drug discovery and validation, including generation of humanized animal and cell models, therapeutic antibody discovery (via its RenMice^® technology platform, which includes RenMab^TM, RenLite^®, and RenNano^® mice), and in vivo/in vitro preclinical validation studies.      Biocytogen continues to grow, and supplies quality products and services to the life sciences cluster that runs from Cambridge to Worcester from its main U.S. site in Waltham, MA. In addition to its presence in the Commonwealth, Biocytogen has expanded globally, with satellite offices in Germany and California. In 2022, Biocytogen completed an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

“Having the opportunity to give back to the place where we got our start and to support upcoming life sciences companies is incredibly meaningful to us,” said Dr. Yuelei Shen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Biocytogen. “The team at MBI gave us more than just a space to launch our company. We are grateful for the support, guidance, and network they provided that helped us build the strong foundation that got us to where we are today. We wish MBI the best of luck developing the pilot Biomanufacturing Center.”

MBI’s Blue Beaker campaign aims to raise $6 million to fund the development of its pilot Biomanufacturing Center. The expansion adds 10 new pilot biomanufacturing labs to support early-stage clinical companies in process development and early-stage manufacturing. The facility also includes 10 new support offices on a second floor overlooking the labs. MBI’s initial StartUp & ScaleUp projects, which opened in mid-2020 and included 28 lab spaces, were fully occupied within 10 months and have already served 30 companies that have raised over $200 million and created 130 jobs in the past two years.

The unique StartUp & ScaleUp model at MBI bridges the gap between incubator and commercial market spaces for early-stage, growing companies, freeing up space in the incubator for new, promising companies to enter the pipeline. By adding additional capabilities to support early clinical stage companies, the expansion will help more startup companies bring products to patients and build on Worcester’s growing biomanufacturing market.

In addition to the donation from Biocytogen, MBI has already secured $3.5M from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and $200,000 in private gifts from Philip R. Morgan and the David R. Grenon Family Foundation.

To learn more about the Blue Beaker Campaign or inquire about space availability in the Pilot Biomanufacturing Center, contact Jon Weaver at [email protected].

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About Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives

MBI is the longest running life sciences incubator in the Commonwealth. MBI’s mission is to be a partner for fostering innovation in the life sciences by helping companies bring lifesaving products to patients, create jobs, and promote economic development in Central MA and throughout the Commonwealth. It is estimated that since 2000, MBI has assisted over 175 companies that have created over 1,025 jobs and raised over $1,000,000,000.