Brokered by bioscience commercialization specialists at Evolution ls Ltd, the agreement will merge the intellectual resources of one of the UK’s leading companies in the development of clinical grade PSCs for therapeutic applications, with one of the world’s largest life-science companies actively involved in research and clinical development. This collaborative research arrangement combines Roslin Cells’ expertise in developing cGMP grade pluripotent stem cells with Lonza’s expertise in primary cell media formulation. It will allow the companies to share technologies, know how, and other intellectual property in order to accelerate the development of industry leading PSC culture media and systems for use in both research and clinical applications.
The main purpose of this collaboration is to provide those involved in both regenerative medicine research and in the production of clinical cell-based products with high-quality, scalable, culture systems that meet the stringent regulations that govern cellular therapies.
Aidan Courtney, CEO Roslin Cells stated: ‘There is a terrific fit between Roslin Cells and Lonza. We are committed to producing cells, which can be used in therapy. To achieve this, we need cell culture systems which meet regulatory GMP standards and can be used not only in research but also in cell production facilities. Collaborating with Lonza will allow us to combine our expertise in the derivation and characterization of pluripotent cells with their vast experience with cell culture media development and cell production.’
Phil Vanek, Head of Innovation and Business Development, Lonza Bioscience commented: “Roslin Cells brings a unique perspective to the challenge of commercializing therapeutic cells and gives Lonza access to Roslin’s pluripotent cell lines that are extraordinarily well characterized for application in the clinic. Lonza’s competency in developing animal-free, fully characterized cGMP manufacturing grade culture media makes this research collaboration a natural fit for the further development of Lonza’s PSC research and clinical tools portfolio.“
About Roslin Cells Roslin Cells Ltd was established in 2006 by the Roslin Institute with the support of the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and Scottish Enterprise. The company’s core mission is to provide ethically sourced, pluripotent human cells manufactured to the highest quality available according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP standards). This level of quality is critical to their intended use in therapeutic applications. By operating to such high standards, Roslin Cells is able to supply our partners and collaborators, premier quality pluripotent cell lines that are extensively characterised and tested. Our cell lines form the basic material with which our collaborators can develop cell therapies for clinical applications. They also represent the ideal starting material for researchers engaged in discovery research.
Roslin Cells is headquartered in Roslin, Midlothian, and is a not for profit organization. Further information can be found at www.roslincells.com.
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries. Its products and services span its customers’ needs from research to final product manufacture. Lonza is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts, which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is a leader in cell-based research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Lonza is also a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agro and personal care markets.
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. In 2009, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.690 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
About Evolution ls Evolution ls is a Bioscience intelligence and technology commercialization company. The company's integrated approach encompasses the identification of ideas, protection of intellectual property (IP), development of technology, licensing, forming new spin-out companies, incubation and investment. Our mission is to provide high quality innovation solutions for Investors, Academia, Technology Transfer Organisations, Life Science companies, and Government Agencies. Our goal is to assist in the creation, establishment and profitable development of life science ventures.
Evolution ls are headquartered in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The company is privately owned; further information can be found at www.evols.co.uk .
For further Information
Roslin Cells Ltd Chief Executive Officer Aidan Courtney Tel +44 131 527 4243 Fax +44 131 527 4517 a.courtney@roslincells.com
Lonza Group Ltd Head Corporate Communications Michael Frizberg Tel +41 61 316 8624 Fax +41 61 316 9624 michael.frizberg@lonza.com
Lonza Group Ltd Media Relations Dominik Werner Tel +41 61 316 8798 Fax +41 61 316 9798 dominik.werner@lonza.com
Lonza Group Ltd Investor Relations Dirk Oehlers Tel +41 61 316 8540 Fax +41 61 316 9540 dirk.oehlers@lonza.com
Evolution LS Ltd Intelligence and Innovation Frank Rinaldi Tel +44 141 229 1398 Fax +44 141 228 6001 f.rinaldi@evols.co.uk
