Organization aims to generate iPSC repository for researchers worldwide.
ATCC negotiated worldwide nonexclusive rights to iPS Academia Japan’s (AJ) induced pluirpotent stem cell (iPSC) patent portfolio including rights to create, modify, differentiate, manufacture, and distribute iPSCs. The agreement means ATCC will be able to distribute iPSCs and iPS-derived cells for research use and defined commercial applications.
ATCC says it plans to use the technology to establish an iPS cell repository for researchers globally. “We believe that ATCC’s distribution of iPS cells will accelerate research and dvelopment for practical use of the iPS cell technology,” comments Osamu Yoshida, M.D., president and CEO at AJ. “We hope for the further advancement of the iPS cell technology and its practical use this year and will continue to support expanding the iPS cell technology by licensing our patent portfolio.”
Human cardiac cells specialist Univercell-Biosolutions inked a worldwide non-exclusive license to AJ’s iPSC portfolio back in February. Universal aims to combine the platform with its own technology to enable the large scale production of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for use in cardiotoxicity testing of new drug candidates.
Also in February, Kyoto University and AJ signed a series of IP agreements with iPierian that are designed to generate a unified, worldwide patent estate covering iPSC technology. Under the terms of the agreements iPierian has assigned to Kyoto University the iPSC patent estate it acquired from Bayer Schering Pharma in 2008, which is based on research conducted at the Bayer Yakuhin Kobe Research Center.
In return, Kyoto University and AJ granted iPierian non-exclusive worldwide rights to its combined patent estate relating to iPSC technology for use in drug discovery and development.
Earlier this month AJ inked a deal with Cellular Dynamics for distribution of the latter’s human iPSC-derived iCell® Cardiomyocytes in Japan.
AJ was established in 2008 to manage the patents and other IP relating to the iPSC technology, which was originally developed by Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., and colleagues at Kyoto University’s Center for iPSC Cell Research and Application.
ATCC claims to be the world’s largest biological resource center, offering the most comprehensive source of reference cultures and reagents. The organization also aims to push the boundaries of translational medicine, through discovery of disease biomarkers and assays for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in a range of fields. ATCC’s partnership with U.K.-based LGC Standards has been established to facilitate the distribution of ATCC cultures and bioproducts to life science researchers throughout Europe and India.
