EMD Millipore announces global licensing agreement for AJ's iPS cell patent portfolio

EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, and iPS Academia Japan, Inc. (Kyoto, Japan) today announced a global licensing agreement for AJ's induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell patent portfolio. The non-exclusive agreement provides EMD Millipore the opportunity to continue to develop and ultimately commercialize iPS cells for research applications. Under the agreement, EMD Millipore will continue to offer its STEMCCA™ reprogramming kits, which provide a highly efficient, reproducible method for creating iPS cells. The iPS cell patent portfolio is a result of work by Professor Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University, Japan.

"We are extremely honored to collaborate with AJ on furthering research in the area iPS cell technology," said John Sweeney, Head, Bioscience Business Unit, EMD Millipore."To collaborate with the founder of iPS cell discovery provides the ideal opportunity for EMD Millipore to build upon our current product offering of the STEMCCA™ reprogramming kits, as well as further advance our research and discovery in the area of stem cell technology, and to provide our customers with the tools necessary in this important, breakthrough area of stem cell research."

"AJ is pleased to grant a non-exclusive license and build a relationship with EMD Millipore. Since EMD Millipore has close relationship with both academic community and commercial community, we believe that EMD Millipore's business will contribute to boost research and development for practical application of iPS cell technology," said Shosaku Murayama, president and Chief Executive Officer of iPS Academia Japan, Inc.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, discovered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state by being forced to express genes and factors important for maintaining the defining properties of embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have potential to further various aspects of stem cell research, from the establishment of patient-specific stem cell populations to disease models.

EMD Millipore's STEMCCA™ kit is designed for researchers to obtain and work with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Utilizing the STEMCCA™ kit, scientists are able to generate human and mouse iPS cells using a single, excisable polycistroniclentiviral vector that delivers all four reprogramming factors discovered by Dr. Yamanaka.

Source: EMD Millipore