Cellular Dynamics Awarded $1.2 M NEI Contract

Cellular Dynamics International announced that the National Eye Institute (NEI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded the company a $1.2 million contract to manufacture clinically compatible induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. These cells will be manufactured from individuals suffering from dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and will be used for investigational new drug (IND) enabling studies. Once the IND is approved, the same procedures will be used to generate clinical-grade iPSC-derived RPE tissue for transplantation into AMD patients. This process, known as autologous cellular therapy, would be the first of its kind in the U.S.