Science, Collaboration and Breakthroughs: Insights from Astellas' Life Sciences and West Coast Innovation Centers
In 2024, Astellas made a significant, game-changing investment in the future of biotech innovation by opening two world-class, dynamic innovation centers, one on each U.S. coast. In May, the company opened the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center in the heart of the South San Francisco, California biotech ecosystem. Four months later, in September, the company opened the Astellas Life Sciences Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both cutting-edge facilities serve as a testimonial to Astellas’ commitment to fuel collaboration, push scientific boundaries, and deliver new treatments and VALUE to patients around the world.
Dan Hoeppner, a geneticist who heads partnering and data management at the Astellas Life Sciences Center and Molly Ryan, a pharmacologist who leads neuromuscular gene therapy research at the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center, offer a glimpse into the unique daily life at each location and how these brand-new innovative environments shape their work in groundbreaking ways.
From Partnerships to Hands-On Research: A Day in the Life
At both the Astellas Life Sciences Center and the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center, day-to-day responsibilities revolve around interdisciplinary teamwork and spontaneous innovation. Dan is Head of Partnering and Data Management for Astellas Engineered Small Molecules. His role bridges business development, data resources, and hands-on science, reflecting the center's integrative approach to pharmaceutical research. “My work is divided between building partnerships and managing digital data to keep research moving forward smoothly,” he explains. Dan’s background in microscopy often brings him directly into scientific projects, and the Astellas Life Sciences Center’s shared spaces encourage organic exchanges that spark new ideas. “Face-to-face meetings, even casual conversations over coffee, frequently lead to new insights,” he adds.
Molly Ryan, Neuromuscular Research Lead at Astellas Gene Therapies, shares a similar experience. Leading cross-functional teams to advance neuromuscular gene therapy programs, Molly works closely with experts from various disciplines, all housed in one cohesive space. “Being under one roof has been transformative,” she notes. “I can easily connect with colleagues across the company, from discovery and preclinical research teams to project management, making spontaneous collaboration much easier.” The Astellas West Coast Innovation Center’s layout fosters casual interactions — whether in the elevator or at the coffee machine — that fuel innovation and strengthen team connections.
Both centers were purposefully designed to promote face-to-face interaction, grounded in the principle that impactful ideas often arise from spontaneous, cross-functional collaboration. At the Astellas Life Sciences Center, this vision comes to life through SakuLabTM-Cambridge MA, Astellas’ first U.S.-based open lab space, which serves as a hub for co-creation and innovation. Operating under the Discovery Accelerator initiative, this lab focuses on synthetic biology, actively seeking research partnerships with biotechnology start-ups, academic institutions, and incubators. Beyond access to the facility, tenant companies benefit from consultations with pharmaceutical experts and valuable networking opportunities.
Integrated Research Approach: Targeted Protein Degradation and Gene Therapy
The distinct scientific focus at each of Astellas’ new centers reflects the company’s commitment to pioneering research.
At the Astellas Life Sciences Center, preclinical research efforts are advancing novel therapeutic approaches, including targeted protein degradation (TPD) — a therapeutic approach to selectively break down disease-causing proteins — to address unmet medical needs and drive innovation in drug discovery. Dan notes, “Within the Astellas Life Sciences Center, there is a vibrant community of clinical researchers led by the Astellas Chief Medical Officer, with whom we regularly engage to help inform our research strategy and help us connect the dots from research to development to patients.” “We’ve built a state-of-the-art laboratory that optimizes each of these steps to literally ‘see’ real results,” he shares, demonstrating Astellas’ commitment to adapting research priorities to accelerate discoveries using powerful new therapeutic strategies such as modulating protein homeostasis.
Meanwhile, Molly’s team at the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center is advancing complex gene therapies with a focus on neuromuscular diseases. “Gene therapy has traditionally focused on treating rare, loss-of-function diseases with straightforward gene replacement therapeutics, but as we look to the future, we’re adapting to enable treatment of more challenging diseases,” she explains.
In addition to the development of gene replacement therapies, her team now works to develop therapies for gain-of-function diseases, where the therapeutic approach is not simply about replacing a missing gene but managing a mutated one that has become toxic. “This next step in the gene therapy field requires us to rethink our approach,” she says, highlighting the need for innovative problem-solving and cross-team collaboration.
Through these focused research paths, both centers directly support Astellas’ commitment to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. By investing in Primary Focus areas like TPD and Genetic Regulation, Astellas will continue to pioneer new healthcare solutions for diseases with high unmet medical need.
The Power of Place: Cambridge and South San Francisco’s Scientific Ecosystems
The geographical context of each center also plays a key role in shaping their approach to science and innovation. Located in Cambridge, MA, the Astellas Life Sciences Center sits within a densely populated scientific community including neighbors from big pharma, biotechs, and academia. “The local environment is so dense that I often walk to business meetings or bike to events hosted by nearby organizations,” Dan says. He mentions a unique feature at the center: a public piano that encourages employees and neighbors alike to gather and socialize. These local connections enable the Astellas Life Sciences Center to participate in a broader ecosystem of innovation, fostering partnerships and friendships that extend beyond Astellas.
In contrast, the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center in South San Francisco leverages its all-encompassing building as a microcosm of collaboration, with five floors of interconnected labs and offices. Molly reflects on the impact of this setup, explaining how researchers can now work closely, sharing tips, insights, and tools in a way that wasn’t possible when they were in separate locations throughout the Bay Area. “Having everything in one building lets us function as a cohesive unit,” she explains, noting that this layout allows researchers to learn from one another and contribute to each stage of the research process more effectively.
Strengthening Foundations for Collaborative Innovation
As Astellas continues to lay down roots in these biotech ecosystems, Dan and Molly anticipate that the collaborative environment will only strengthen. “I’m excited to see who else will join us here in Cambridge as the neighborhood fills out,” Dan remarks.
Molly looks forward to deepening connections across the Astellas West Coast Innovation Center’s diverse teams, especially as they continue tackling the complex challenges of gene and cell therapy. “In its own way, the building functions as its own ecosystem,” Molly says. “It brings together many different functions under one roof.”
Through their experiences, Dan and Molly offer a compelling look at how each center’s design supports groundbreaking work while creating an environment where collaboration thrives. For Astellas, the Astellas Life Sciences Center and Astellas West Coast Innovation Center represent much more than just buildings — they’re the heart of a global mission to advance healthcare through innovation and connection.
Learn more about our groundbreaking innovation by clicking the links below:
Primary Focus Targeted Protein Degradation
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Primary Focus Genetic Regulation
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Cell Therapy
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