Walkersville, MD (USA) – The National Institutes of Health Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH CRM) has awarded Lonza Walkersville, Inc. a contract to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for research purposes.
This is the second contract the NIH has awarded Lonza for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In October 2012, the NIH CRM awarded Lonza Walkersville, Inc. a contract to generate clinical grade induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
Human iPSCs were first generated in 2007 by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and colleagues at Kyoto University who subsequently won a Nobel Prize for this work. By definition, iPSCs have the ability to indefinitely self-renew and become any cell type in the body. Because of these attributes, iPSCs have become an important scientific tool and are spurring advancements in basic research, disease modeling, drug development, and regenerative medicine.
"A few years ago, Lonza established its Pluripotent Stem Cell Innovation Center. The center has two mandates," said Stephan Kutzer, COO Lonza Pharma-Biotech. "First, the group was tasked with developing technologies to help the field move pluripotent stem cell derived therapies to the clinic. Second, it was tasked with providing a comprehensive service offering to support both basic and clinical PSC research. This latest NIH contract validates Lonza's investments in this key strategic area."
The contract awarded to Lonza is deemed an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award which is a type of United States Government contract that provides an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed amount of time. For IDIQs, although nothing is guaranteed, minimum and maximum quantity limits are specified in the basic contract as either number of units (for supplies) or as dollar values (for services). The Lonza contract is a three year agreement with a value up to $6.9 million dollars.
Further information on Lonza's pluripotent stem cell technology development programs and service offerings can be found at www.lonza.com/pluripotent.
About the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine
Supported by the NIH Common Fund, the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH CRM) is a community resource that works to provide the infrastructure to support and accelerate the clinical translation of stem cell-based technologies, and to develop widely available resources to be used as standards in stem cell research. For a variety of patient populations, the Center facilitates generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as the derivation or isolation of other types of stem cells. The Center makes available a range of adult stem and progenitor cell populations, as well as the protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) used for their derivation, culture, and differentiation. The Center provides services and information to both the intramural and extramural NIH communities that facilitate the use of stem cell technologies for therapeutic purposes and for screening efforts. The Center collaborates in the U.S. and internationally — including governments, research institutions and commercial entities — to ensure that efforts are coordinated and standard policies are in place to minimize roadblocks to advancing stem cell technologies. For more information on the NIH CRM, visit www.crm.nih.gov.