Stemgent, CellDesign Sign Co-Exclusive Marketing Agreement on Stem Cell-Based Adipocyte Research Products

- Stemgent to provide CellDesign's proprietary adipocyte differentiation kits -

SAN DIEGO and NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Stemgent has signed a co-exclusive license to market CellDesign's AdipoDesign Starter Kit and AdipoDesign MaxiKit, which enable researchers to grow and study adipocytes from adipogenic progenitor cells. This agreement strengthens Stemgent's position as a provider of leading stem cell research technologies and enables CellDesign to take advantage of Stemgent's extensive reach into the stem cell research community.

The AdipoDesign Starter Kit and AdipoDesign Maxi Kit comprise committed human adipogenic progenitor cells as well as recovery, maintenance, and differentiation media, and allow the researcher to produce functional human adipocytes in two weeks. With applications in the fields of drug discovery, basic and applied research, toxicity testing, high throughput screens, and regenerative medicine, the study and use of adipocytes derived from these kits has the potential to have a significant impact.

Recent studies with Pfizer scientists have demonstrated that the AdipoDesign Kits produce mature adipocytes that exhibit physiologically relevant responses in a variety of predictive assays. The results from these studies were presented at StemCONN 09 on March 24, 2009 in New Haven, CT.

"Stemgent's commitment to stem cell research is unparalleled, and we anticipate that this relationship will hasten the introduction of CellDesign technologies into the academic market," commented John Hambor, CEO, CellDesign.

Added Ian Ratcliffe, CEO, Stemgent, "We are extremely excited to be able to offer CellDesign's cutting-edge technology for adipogenic progenitors to the stem cell research community."

Under the terms of the agreement, the kits will be sold under both companies' names. Kits will be shipped directly from Stemgent, and representatives from both Stemgent and CellDesign will be available for sales and technical support.

About Stemgent - www.stemgent.com

Stemgent moves stem cell science forward by providing proprietary reagents and tools developed by some of the world's leading stem cell scientists. Stemgent's product offering has been specifically optimized for and screened against stem cells, and includes small molecules for pluripotency, self-renewal, and differentiation, as well as cytokines, antibodies, transfection reagents, and more. Stemgent's latest innovations include viral vectors encoding transcription factors necessary for the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This unique product mix is designed to serve researchers who study stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and those who use cells derived from stem cells as tools to advance their understanding of major diseases. With dual headquarters in Boston, MA, and San Diego, CA, Stemgent is well positioned to serve the stem cell research market.

About CellDesign - www.celldesign.com

CellDesign is a global life sciences company dedicated to advancing drug discovery and basic research through development and commercialization of products and services derived from, or related to, stem cells. We provide functional cell-based assays and user-friendly kits that incorporate high-quality progenitor cells matched with proprietary qualified media for complete cell biology solutions. Our management team and scientists have extensive knowledge of stem cell technology and drug discovery that allow us to offer customized models for specific screening applications in partnership with pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations.

CONTACT: Sarah Neugebauer, Marketing Manager of Stemgent, +1-858-353-4482,
sarah.neugebauer@stemgent.com; or David Hambor, Director of Sales and
Marketing for CellDesign, 1-877-323-3689, dhambor@celldesign.com

Back to news