Life Technologies Corporation has extended its collaborative agreement with Japanese firm DNAVEC Corporation to launch CytoTune-iPS 2.0 Sendai Reprogramming Kit, the next-generation research technology that enables the most efficient method to develop induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from human somatic cells. The newest kit doubles the number of colonies that can be produced and represents the latest in a series of products that are planned from the collaboration.CytoTune-iPS 2.0 Sendai Reprogramming Kit uses a benign RNA virus developed by DNAVEC to deliver the reprogramming factors and clears out of the cell after about five replication cycles. The technology helps overcome major hurdles associated with traditional reprogramming techniques, which are inefficient and can lead to unwanted genetic mutations since vectors must insert themselves in the host cell’s DNA to deliver their payload.
By extending its collaborative research agreement with DNAVEC Corp., Life Technologies plans to build on the success it’s forged through the broad adoption of the CytoTune technology. Under the agreement, DNAVEC will undertake early stage R&D to apply its Sendai virus technology to third- and fourth-generation tools for use within the reprogramming and stem-cell workflows.
Efficient development of iPS cells provides highly sought-after advantages for the basic and translational research fields. Scientists who test existing or novel drugs in the hopes of treating specific conditions can have faster access to patient-derived, physiologically accurate cells for disease modeling studies.
Date: October 15, 2013
Source: Life Technologies
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
