BioLamina signed a research and development agreement with Roche to jointly develop new cell culture systems for various applications, including stem cell research. The collaboration will focus on assessing laminin-based in vitro cell culture matrices that offer physiological microenvironments for living cells.
Under the terms of the agreement Roche will provide R&D funding and scientific expertise to BioLamina.
Laminins are proteins located in the extracellular matrix giving the stability essential for cell growth and behavior. They are the only protein group in this environment that have a tissue-specific distribution, including expression of specific laminins during embryonic development, according to BioLamina. This makes them a very interesting target for new biologically relevant cell culturing techniques, according to Ruedi Stoffel, head of biochemical reagents and custom biotech at Roche.
“Our aim is to develop laminin-based culture systems that provide biologically relevant, standardized environments,” said Stoffel. “We are looking forward to this collaboration to build on the revolutionary cell cultivation techniques developed by our colleagues at the Karolinska Institute and BioLamina.”
“We’re delighted that Roche has recognized the potential of our products and technology, which we believe will significantly complement their expertise and capabilities in cell culturing,” added Kristian Tryggvason, CEO of BioLamina. “By resolving many of the technical obstacles currently blocking the road to modern cell therapy, we expect this collaboration to accelerate the development of innovative cell culturing solutions that can possibly enable cell therapy.”