Cellular Dynamics International and Roche Expand Existing Cardiotoxicity Screening Agreement
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Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) and Roche have announced expansion of their existing agreement to test drug development candidates for their potential to cause cardiotoxicity, or damage to heart tissue. The two-year collaboration aims to enhance drug safety testing in order to bring promising therapies to patients.
Under this agreement, CDI will supply purified cardiomyocytes, created from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), to Roche, and the two companies will collaborate to perform various cell characterizations, toxicological and electrophysiological response experiments. The agreement also includes an ongoing cardiomyocyte supply contract post collaboration.
Embarked upon originally in March 2008 as a validation of CDI's human pluripotent stem cell technology, the expanded agreement is a testament to the success of the first phase. This next phase moves the companies toward assessing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes as a cardiovascular safety pharmacology as well as toxicology tool.
iPSCs are adult tissue cells that have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent, embryonic-like state. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs have the ability to differentiate into any cell type in the body. However, because they are created from adult skin cells, not embryos, they enable patient-specific stem cells, an important factor in moving the technology toward personalized medicine.
The goal of the agreement's next phase is to detect drug-induced changes in cardiomyocyte activity across a spectrum of compounds. While it is already standard practice to perform in vitro testing of drug candidates on cardiomyocytes, the cell models currently used have a limited utility to reliably predict conduction-related effects and/or overt cardiotoxicity.
CDI's iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes could overcome these limitations by providing a human-based, genetically diverse, virtually unlimited cell supply. Together these attributes provide a platform expected to streamline drug development and more accurately predict human physiological responses.
"We are thrilled with the expansion of our Roche human cardiomyocyte program," said Robert Palay, CDI Chief Executive Officer. "We view this as the next logical step in providing Roche with high quality iPSC-derived human cardiomyocytes in sufficient volumes for their drug toxicity and development needs, thereby helping to bring safe and effective medicines to patients faster."
Under this agreement, CDI will supply purified cardiomyocytes, created from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), to Roche, and the two companies will collaborate to perform various cell characterizations, toxicological and electrophysiological response experiments. The agreement also includes an ongoing cardiomyocyte supply contract post collaboration.
Embarked upon originally in March 2008 as a validation of CDI's human pluripotent stem cell technology, the expanded agreement is a testament to the success of the first phase. This next phase moves the companies toward assessing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes as a cardiovascular safety pharmacology as well as toxicology tool.
iPSCs are adult tissue cells that have been reprogrammed to a pluripotent, embryonic-like state. Like embryonic stem cells, iPSCs have the ability to differentiate into any cell type in the body. However, because they are created from adult skin cells, not embryos, they enable patient-specific stem cells, an important factor in moving the technology toward personalized medicine.
The goal of the agreement's next phase is to detect drug-induced changes in cardiomyocyte activity across a spectrum of compounds. While it is already standard practice to perform in vitro testing of drug candidates on cardiomyocytes, the cell models currently used have a limited utility to reliably predict conduction-related effects and/or overt cardiotoxicity.
CDI's iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes could overcome these limitations by providing a human-based, genetically diverse, virtually unlimited cell supply. Together these attributes provide a platform expected to streamline drug development and more accurately predict human physiological responses.
"We are thrilled with the expansion of our Roche human cardiomyocyte program," said Robert Palay, CDI Chief Executive Officer. "We view this as the next logical step in providing Roche with high quality iPSC-derived human cardiomyocytes in sufficient volumes for their drug toxicity and development needs, thereby helping to bring safe and effective medicines to patients faster."
