Agreements

* On September 11, 2013, the Cell Therapy Catapult, which is focused on the development of the UK cell therapy industry, and Roslin Cells, an expert in the production of stem cells, are partnering to establish a source of clinical grade induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS1) banked according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the UK. With iPS cells gaining in importance as a source of new therapies and the first products soon to enter trials, establishment of the cell bank with an initial £2m investment provides the UK with an important source of iPS cells acceptable to the regulatory authorities.

These iPS cell lines will be available for clinical research in both academia and industry, with the initial six expected to be available by the end of 2014. Clinical grade iPS cells will be isolated and banked in compliance with GMP in the manufacturing facility at Roslin Cells in Edinburgh. From these banks, research grade lines will be created and made available for early stage work and preclinical research. This means that when a cell therapy has been developed, researchers will be able to move to GMP grade cells confident that they will be acceptable for clinical trial.