Signing of 7th licence for ITI Life Sciences sees Dundee-based biotech company Cellartis AB commercialise pioneering stem cell technology

Dundee, Scotland, ITI Life Sciences today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with world leading Stem Cell company Cellartis AB, granting them a worldwide licence to further develop and commercialise specific assets, generated from ITI’s £9.5 million Stem Cell Technology (SCT) Programme, to academia and industry.

The technology being licensed was developed as part of an ongoing three-year ITI programme, launched in January 2007, to develop an automated process for producing large volumes of high-quality, ethically-derived human embryonic (hES) stem cell lines (i.e. cells with the potential to become any type of cell). This technology has the potential of driving unprecedented innovation in drug discovery and regenerative medicine today and in the future.

Cellartis, one of the world’s most advanced stem cell companies and the largest provider of ethically-derived hES lines, expanded into a new state of the art R&D and manufacturing facility in Scotland from Sweden to be part of the ITI programme in 2007. Since then Cellartis has expanded its operations in Dundee and is currently exploring strategic opportunities to further enhance its Scottish connections. In addition to Cellartis, the ITI programme also involves the University of Glasgow, Dundee University and Heriot Watt University as R&D providers. Under the terms of the deal ITI will receive royalties on the sale of products produced using this technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said “This is a positive development – both for the Scottish economy and for public health. Not only do ITI Scotland’s commercial licence deals create new revenue streams for the economy, but they also help to stimulate growth and create new jobs.

Scotland has a wealth of scientific talent and expertise in stem cell research. This deal further accelerates our worldwide profile, highlights the opportunities available to international companies locating in Scotland, not to mention the potential impact this groundbreaking technology could have on public health.”

Commenting on the deal Eleanor Mitchell, Managing Director of ITI Life Sciences, said: “The ability to produce large numbers of high quality stem cells is a massive advantage and something which was not commercially available until now. We are delighted to license this technology to Cellartis, the first licence to come out of our Stem Cell Technology Programme, so it’s a major milestone and hugely exciting for everyone involved.  This is ITI Life Sciences seventh licensing agreement and the tenth for ITI Scotland.

“This latest deal further highlights the success of the ITI model and is a great demonstration of the role ITI plays in helping to commercialise world class research in Scotland. ITI, Cellartis and the other research providers devoted their considerable shared expertise to identifying a major market need which can now be filled by this groundbreaking technology. At a time of significant economic pressure, when many pharmaceutical investment companies are looking for better return on money invested, the research income this technology will generate is particularly welcome.”

Mats Lundwall, CEO of Cellartis, said: “We are very proud of our involvement in ITI’s Stem Cell Technology Programme and delighted that we have secured this licensing deal. Our involvement in the programme has been a strong catalyst for our growth and we look forward to delivering more success together, in Scotland and beyond. Our time in Scotland has been very rewarding and long may it continue. It’s a great time for positive news flow in Stem Cells with political, regulatory and commercial announcements all pointing to a positive future for Cellartis and its partners.”

Dr Marilyn Robertson, Executive Director of the Scottish Stem Cell Network, added: “This is a very exciting development for Scotland’s stem cell scene. It validates the joined-up approach we have been taking for several years and will be key in building a strong commercial base in Scotland for this globally important venture. We are delighted that Cellartis has made this commitment and have welcomed its active participation on our Network thus far.”

Contacts

For further information, interviews or photography from ITI Life Sciences please contact:

Anna Edmond / Jamie Henderson
Firefly Communications
0131 553 0150
anna.edmond@fireflycomms.com / james.henderson@fireflycomms.com

For Cellartis enquiries please contacts:

Mats Lundwall
Chief Executive Officer
(+44) 7918697473 / (+46) 765250903
Mats.lundwall@cellartis.com

Johan Hyllner
Chief Scientific Officer
(+46) 317580902
Johan.hyllner@cellartis.com

About ITI Life Sciences

ITI Life Sciences is a division of ITI Scotland Ltd, a publicly funded organisation focused on driving sustainable economic growth in Scotland through ownership of commercially targeted R&D programmes delivering world-class intellectual assets. ITI Scotland is focused on three market areas: energy, life sciences, and digital media and communications technology.

ITI Life Sciences (Dundee, Scotland) aims to leverage Scotland’s research excellence in life sciences to generate new technologies that address future global market opportunities.

This is achieved by identifying and commissioning early stage R&D programmes based on assessing future market needs and developing the required technology assets. The organisation also identifies appropriate commercial partners to exploit these assets globally.

To date, ITI Life Sciences has initiated R&D programmes in commercially attractive areas such as point of care diagnostics, stem cell technologies, predictive drug screening and text mining.

Find out more on the ITI Life Sciences website

About Cellartis

Cellartis AB is a premier provider of human embryonic stem cell (hES) derived products and technologies which will drive unprecedented innovation in drug discovery and regenerative medicine today and in the future. Today, alongside fully characterised, ethically derived human embryonic stem cell lines, the company offers custom prepared human cardiomyocytes and mesenchymal progenitors derived from hES cells along with stem cell antibodies and tools. Cellartis is engaged in programmes for the production of homogenous populations of hepatocytes suitable for use as bio-tools in industrial applications. In addition, Cellartis has built the world’s first large-volume automated production facility for human ES cells and can provide human ES cells for screening campaigns. The company was founded in 2001, has over 50 employees and is located in Gothenburg Sweden and Dundee Scotland.

Find out more on the Cellartis website

Further information - Stem Cell research and market information

Stem cells have the ability to grow and divide in culture and differentiate into any cell type in the body. For this reason it is anticipated that stem cells may play an important role in regenerative medicine. The idea is that stem cells would be grown to large numbers in culture and then induced to differentiate into the desired therapeutic cell type. The differentiated cells would then be transplanted into patients to treat conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease and spinal cord injury. Stem cells may also have applications in the identification of novel drug targets and the development of systems for toxicology.

Home to 590 life sciences organisations employing over 30,000 people, Scotland has a vibrant, world-leading stem cell sector with access to:

• Global leaders in basic research, clinical development and commercialisation
• A world-renowned academic research community
• Strong government support, including $700m research funding
• A supportive legislative and regulatory environment
• State-of-the-art research and clinical development facilities with a highly-skilled workforce.