Ono Golden Ticket 2026

Ono Pharmaceutical (Ono) today announced partnerships with LabCentral in Cambridge, MA, and MBC BioLabs in San Francisco/ San Carlos, CA to award each organization one Golden Ticket for an innovative life sciences startup company. The competition is sponsored by Ono and applications will be received through May 2026.

The Golden Ticket awards provide two promising early-stage R&D companies lab space and mentorship, components that are vital to the success of promising life science businesses. The competition seeks proposals from startup companies in the oncology, immunology & inflammation, and neurology areas. The Golden Tickets Ono is sponsoring will provide one outstanding applicant lab space and related services at each of the partner locations, as well as mentorship from Ono’s renowned researchers and business leaders across its global network. LabCentral and MBC BioLabs have partnered with Ono since 2021. Ten companies have won a Golden Ticket, including Regula Bio, a biotech based in Cambridge, MA, that specializes in identifying therapeutic regulators that restore cellular health, and ResNovas Therapeutics, a San Francisco biotech dedicated to developing novel therapeutic approaches for highly validated but historically undruggable targets in oncology and beyond.

Interested applicants may submit their non-confidential company presentations by June 5, see below application form.

Here’s what you can expect with an Ono – MBC BioLabs Golden Ticket award:

Initial submissions will be accepted and reviewed by Ono’s internal committee. Finalists for each location will be notified and invited to present to Ono in person or virtually at the end of July. Winners will be presented with the Golden Tickets shortly thereafter.

About the Ono Golden Ticket with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs

In 2021, Ono entered sponsorship agreements with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs, two organizations that support the development of biotech startups and entrepreneurs by providing access to comprehensive laboratory facilities and technologies. Ono has long been a proponent of collaboration in R&D and credits its own open innovation model for supporting key scientific breakthroughs over the years.

“As longtime believers in open innovation and the power of partnerships, we are excited to be partnering with LabCentral and MBC BioLabs to offer this Golden Ticket competition,” said Seishi Katsumata, Corporate Officer / Executive Vice President, Discovery & Research. “We encourage companies who are doing outstanding work in Ono’s three focus areas – oncology, immunology & inflammation, and neurology – to apply. It’s our goal to deliver first-in-class medicines to patients who are waiting for them, by leveraging start-up technology and Ono’s expertise.”

About Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. delivers innovative therapies for patients worldwide. Upholding its philosophy of “Dedicated to the Fight against Disease and Pain,” Ono targets areas with unmet medical needs including oncology, immunology & inflammation, and neurology, and fosters partnerships with academic and biotech organizations to accelerate drug discovery. Through its affiliate, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Ono is accelerating clinical development and commercial operations in the US and Europe to drive global business expansion and further its commitment to patient care. For more information, please visit the company’s website at https://www.ono-pharma.com/en.

About LabCentral

A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral is a launchpad for high potential life-sciences and biotech startups with 225,000 square feet of space across Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., and the Harvard University campus. Founded in 2013, LabCentral offers a full complement of programming and networking to life sciences entrepreneurs in addition to fully permitted laboratory and office space for early stage and growing life sciences companies. More information is available at www.labcentral.org.

About MBC BioLabs

MBC BioLabs provides flexible, cost-effective lab space with operational support, access to millions of dollars in state-of-the-art instrumentation, and a vibrant community tackling some of biotech’s biggest challenges. It is home to more than 175 high-growth companies across five Bay Area campuses. Each site has a complete molecular biology core facility that allows companies to do experiments on day one. MBC BioLabs has partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and life-science companies as well as a built-in venture capital firm, Mission BioCapital. These partnerships provide entrepreneurs with valuable insights about where to focus their efforts and accelerates the innovation pipeline. Since opening in 2013, MBC BioLabs has helped launch and grow over 350 companies. These companies have brought over 175 programs into the clinic, produced 13 approved diagnostics, and raised over $20 billion. For more information, please visit the website at www.mbcbiolabs.com.