Google Moves into Lab Space at the Arsenal
Plus Profound Therapeutics Partners with the Gates Foundation
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64 Pleasant Street: Watertown Square Lab & Flex Lease Options
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New building permits show Google is moving into the former Werewolf Therapeutics Space at the Arsenal on the Charles
In our last newsletter, we reported on the end of Werewolf Therapeutics as it merged with Ambros Therapeutics. While the merger may still be in progress, Werewolf’s old lab space at 200 Talcott Avenue at the Arsenal on the Charles is already being prepared for a new tenant. According to building permits issued by the City of Watertown, ATOC landlord Alexandria Real Estate Equities is renovating the space, with Google as the listed tenant. According to the permits, Google will be leasing approximately 25,000 square feet. This lease represents a major Boston-area expansion for Google outside of their Kendall Square headquarters. Neither Google nor ARE responded to requests for comment.
While the exact use of the space hasn’t been announced, the approved building plans contains a mix of office space and standard life science wet lab spaces, indicating the space will probably continue to be used as a research lab, and is not being converted into a data center. Google’s parent company Alphabet does have a few subsidiaries in the life science space, mainly Calico Bio and Verily, but neither have a major presence in the Boston area. Another potential option is the space could house a company Google has invested in through their Google Ventures arm (some current GV-invested companies in Watertown include Dyno Therapeutics, Treeline Bio, Lifemine Therapeutics, Seismic Therapeutic, as well as the now defunct SQZ Biotech).
Whatever Google’s plans for the space, the quick turnaround of 200 Talcott Ave seems to be more evidence of the 2026 biotech industry rebound. Werewolf filed to vacate the space on May 7th 2026, stating they would leave by October, 2026. ARE submitted building permits for Google’s renovation at the end of July 2026, and permits were issued at the end of August. This timeline stands in contrast to neighboring 100 Talcott Ave, which was vacant for more than a year after the unexpected implosion of Tome Biosciences in August 2024, and was only just re-occupied by Camp4 Therapeutics.
23 Elm Street offers 66,634 SF of cutting -edge, fully furnished spec lab space, engineered to support scientific innovations and empower research with best-in-class facilities.
ProFound Therapeutics tackles preeclampsia with $35 million Gates Foundation partnership
Watertown newcomer ProFound Therapeutics, headquartered at 99 Coolidge Ave, announced a $35 million partnership with the Gates Foundation to discover drug targets for preeclampsia a serious pregnancy complication in 5-8% of births in the US. Preeclampsia is a disease where the mother develops high blood pressure, protein in the urine, or other signs of organ damage, which can threaten both the life of the mother and the baby. The major cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby. It is hypothesized that the disease is caused by abnormal blood supply to the placenta.
ProFound will apply their Profoundry platform to search for novel drug targets in the so-called “dark proteome”: protein fragments from RNAs that were once thought to be non-coding, but evidence in recent years suggests may produce peptides that have biological functions, including in disease. ProFound will compare the placentas from women with and without preeclampsia to identify disease targets of interest within their atlas of dark proteome peptides. As part of the deal, ProFound will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, with an additional $15 million available if milestones are met.
More about ProFound’s deal: read Fierce Biotech’s coverage here
Quick Hits
Science/ Clinical News
CAMP4 announced authorization from the UK MHRA to expand their phase ½ clinical trial of CMP-002 for SYNGAP1-related disorders.
Disc Medicine announced initial results from their RESTORE-PV trial of DISC-3405 for Polycythemia Vera.
Cultivarium announced PRIME: a new effort to edit human mitochondria supported by ARIA’s precision mitochondria programme.
Portal announced a $2 million award from the National Center for Advancing translational Sciences to expand their Galaxy-i platform for high throughput screening.
People
ALS TDI announced the 2026 ALS TDI Leadership Award winners.
Addgene announced Barret Pfeiffer as their new Director of Business Development.
Remix announced Nicole Sweeny as their Chief Executive Officer.
LifeMine and VidaVinci founder Greg Verdine was named one of MassLive’s Most Influential Innovators of 2026
Media
Parts 2, 3, and 4, of LabShare CEO Philip Borden’s interview on theBiotech Startups Podcast were released.
That’s all for this week!
