MA: Astellas to Open New Life Sciences Facility in DivcoWest's Cambridge Crossing Neighborhood

Astellas Pharma Inc. and DivcoWest, a DivCore Capital Company, announced plans for Astellas to open a new state-of-the-art life sciences facility at 441 Morgan Avenue, in the Cambridge Crossing (CX) neighborhood in Cambridge, Mass. This investment establishes a significant presence for Astellas in one of the world's premier life science innovation hubs, showcasing the company's commitment to expanding its R&D footprint in order to accelerate innovation and deliver value to patients.

Designed by Ennead and Jacobs Consulting, 441 Morgan (rendering above) is the fifth lab-ready building at CX and is situated at a gateway to the neighborhood with views of the Charles River and beyond. With wellness, connectivity, and tenant experience at the forefront, when complete, 441 Morgan will offer five outdoor terraces, direct access to a five-acre park, integrated building technologies including smart technology View Glass, three underground levels of parking and a bike room.

Astellas expects to occupy two floors, or approximately 62,000 square feet, of the new facility in 2024. Astellas will house both laboratory and office areas. The laboratory area will be occupied by Discovery Accelerator, which will serve as an additional incubator space for external collaborators as well as Mitobridge. Over time, a few hundred Boston-based Astellas employees will operate out of the new building, representing functions including Medical & Development, Business Development and Research.

As part of Astellas' and DivcoWest's commitments to sustainability and reducing its environmental impact, the building is targeting LEED Gold. The building is also targeting WiredScore Platinum certifications and is ideally situated just steps to two MBTA lines, including the Community College orange line station and the Lechmere green line station.

Astellas was represented by Transwestern Real Estate Services Executive Vice Presidents Kyle Robbins and David Burkards and Executive Managing Director Andrew Davidson.

Tadaaki Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Astellas
"This investment in Cambridge represents a significant milestone for Astellas, enabling us to continue growing our presence in the Greater Boston area and to create additional hubs for innovation and collaboration. We view this as a strategic approach to enhance our ways of working, foster new collaborations and open up new opportunities in the biopharma ecosystem. We look forward to leveraging the vibrant life sciences ecosystem in the area to drive scientific advancements that ultimately lead to better outcomes for patients."

Mark Roopenian, Managing Director, DivcoWest
"We are thrilled to welcome Astellas to Cambridge Crossing. Through thoughtful and purposeful design, CX has become home to some of the world's leading life science and biotech companies offering both the built environment forward-thinking companies need for today's research and development, and the vibrant community employees desire. We look forward to Astellas being part of the neighborhood and a collaborative partner."

Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Astellas
"Our new Cambridge space will be intentionally designed to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. By providing shared resources, flexible workspaces, and dedicated areas for cross-functional and partner collaboration, the new building will enable our teams to work together seamlessly and capitalize on the diverse expertise both within the company and outside our walls. Moreover, we are excited to create an incubator space through Discovery Accelerator that will provide new opportunities to both support and be a Partner of Choice to highly innovative external organizations."