gene editing Archives | BioInformant

New Frontiers in Gene-Editing and Stem Cell Innovation – Interview with Dr. Chen-Tsai of Applied StemCell

June 15, 2019 By Cade Hildreth (CEO)

I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Ruby Yanru Chen-Tsai, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder of Applied StemCell Inc. (ASC), a fast growing biotechnology company in Milpitas, California. Specializing in gene-editing technologies and stem cell innovation, ASC offers an optimized series of tools for basic research study, drug discovery, bio-processing, bio-production and preclinical applications.

In this fascinating interview, we discuss Dr. Yanru Chen-Tsai’s impressive background, ASC’s unique product portfolio, its TARGATT™ gene editing technology, and the company’s future trajectory. [Read more…]

Allen Institute for Cell Science Releases Gene Edited Human Stem Cell Lines

November 30, 2016 By Cade Hildreth (CEO)

First 5 cell lines in Allen Cell Collection empower the cell science community to explore the dynamic organization of the cell and to better understand health and disease

November 30, 2016 — The Allen Institute for Cell Science has released the Allen Cell Collection: the first publicly available collection of gene edited, fluorescently tagged human induced pluripotent stem cells that target key cellular structures with unprecedented clarity. Distributed through the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, these powerful tools are a crucial first step toward visualizing the dynamic organization of cells to better understand what makes human cells healthy and what goes wrong in disease.

“Each of our cells—the fundamental units of life—are like a city, with people and resources that move around and factories that generate those resources and carry out important functions,” says Rick Horwitz, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Allen Institute for Cell Science. “With these cell lines, we aim to give the cell science community a kind of live traffic map to see when and where the parts of the cell are with the clarity and consistency they need to make progress toward understanding human health and tackling disease. [Read more…]

Universal Cells and HEALIOS K.K. Partner to Produce Universal Donor iPSCs

April 6, 2016 By Cade Hildreth (CEO)

Based in Seattle, Washington, Universal Cells Inc. is a revolutionary therapeutic genome editing company that uses nuclease-free technology to develop “off-the-shelf” stem cell products that are universally compatible. While an early-stage company, this novel approach to stem cell engineering has the potential completely alter stem cell therapeutics.

In major news released today, Universal Cells announced that it has entered into an agreement with HEALIOS K.K. in Japan, the world’s leading company producing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapeutics. Together, Universal Cells and Healios will create universal donor iPSCs by editing the genes required for antigen presentation.

A Trend Toward Partnership with Japanese Giants

Universal Cells’ alignnment with HEALIOS K.K. is one of many partnerships between stem cell start-ups and large pharma in Japan.

A large number of these partnerships have been facilitated by the Japanese government passing the “Act on the Safety on Regenerative Medicine” and making revisions to the “Pharmaceutical and Medical device Act” in late 2014. These legislative acts have positioned Japan as a “gateway” country for rapid development of cell and gene therapies.

Other recent examples of such partnerships include:

Mesoblast with JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. – December 3, 2015
Pluristem with Sosei CVC – December 20, 2016
Athersys with Healios – January 8, 2016
TiGenix with Takeda – July 5, 2016
Cynata Therapeutics with FUJIFILM Corporation – September 5 2016
Steminent with ReproCELL – November 22, 2016
Regeneus with AGC Asahi Glass – December 29, 2016

Universal Cell’s Partnershi with HEALIOS K.K.

As stated in the press release released by Universal Cells:

“Universal Cells Inc. (Seattle WA, USA) and HEALIOS K.K. (“Healios”) (Tokyo, Japan) have entered into a collaborative research and exclusive option agreement to create therapeutic off-the-shelf iPSCs. The partnership will focus on the production of Universal Donor iPSCs by editing the genes required for antigen presentation.

“Partnering with the world’s leading company in iPSC therapeutics, and the leading nation for accelerated regulatory approval for regenerative medicine products is a significant step towards bringing universal donor cells into the clinic”, commented Dr. Mitchell, CEO of Universal Cells.

Universal Cells’ technology is based on discoveries by Dr. David Russell, the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Universal Cells, and a world-renowned leader in gene editing. Universal Cells has licensed patents on recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV)-mediated gene editing, and HLA engineering.”