Autobahn Labs Forms Strategic Partnership with Astellas to Accelerate Academic Discoveries into New Medicines

Core Insights - Autobahn Labs has formed a strategic partnership with Astellas Pharma to transform academic research into investable drug discovery programs [1][4] - Astellas will have exclusive investment opportunities in selected drug discovery programs from Autobahn's translational research pipeline [2][3] - The collaboration aims to combine academic innovation with drug development expertise to accelerate the translation of discoveries into therapies [4] Company Overview - Autobahn Labs is a venture studio that collaborates with leading academic institutions to create de-risked drug discovery programs [5] - The company is backed by Samsara BioCapital and Charles River Labs, and has partnerships with several prestigious academic institutions [5] Partnership Details - Astellas will pay an annual access fee and co-invest in startups created under the partnership with Autobahn [2][3] - Equity interests in new Program Companies will be shared among Autobahn, Astellas, the originating academic institution, and founding academic investigators [3] - Astellas will have the right of first negotiation for exclusive licensing of intellectual property from jointly funded programs [3]