Startup Japanese Biotechs License Kyoto U.’s iPS Cell Process
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
A pair of Japanese startup biotech firms, Reprocell and Takara Bio, have signed licensing agreements with Kyoto University to use its patented production process for induced pluripotent stem cells. The agreements are the school's first for the iPS cells. Reprocell intends to screen for side effects of drug candidates by using the cells and test compounds on cultivated heart muscle cells. Takara Bio has begun selling a reagent used in cultivating iPS cells using a different method, but it plans to expand its reach with the Kyoto cells. (Click here for more - a subscription may be required