Cellular Dynamics International Opens Facility in California, Leasing Space from the Buck Institute to Derive and Bank Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

MADISON, Wis., April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) today announced that the company is opening a facility in Novato, Calif, leasing space from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. This opening of a second CDI facility is in response to the company receiving a $16 million grant award from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to create and bank human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). CDI is a leading commercial producer of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines and tissue cells for drug discovery, safety, stem cell banking and cellular therapeutics.

CDI signed a lease for up to five-years in the Buck Institute's partially CIRM-funded stem cell research building.  A portion of the space will be subleased to the Coriell Institute for Medical Research to construct a stem cell bank, an activity for which CDI is a subcontractor. 

"The CIRM grants provide CDI with the funding to build, with our partner Coriell, the premier iPSC bank," said Bob Palay, CDI Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited to be working with the Buck Institute, constructing our stem cell derivation laboratories as well as the stem cell bank within their world class facilities."

"We are very enthusiastic about partnering with CDI," said Brian Kennedy, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Buck Institute. "As a pioneer in stem cell technology, CDI is a perfect tenant for our new Regenerative Medicine Research Center. Their work and this new initiative have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of a myriad of diseases – we are proud they chose to work with us and we are looking forward to collaborating on new research."

Tom Novak, Ph.D., Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at CDI, said,  "Our location in the Buck Institute, with its focus on improving human "healthspan" and researching age-related disease, is a great opportunity for us to interact and collaborate with the top academic scientists in the field. We see this as a great opportunity to draw top talent to CDI's second location." 

About Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.
Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI) is a leading developer of stem cell technologies for in vitro drug development, in vivo cellular therapeutics, and stem cell banking. CDI harnesses its unique manufacturing technology to produce differentiated tissue cells in industrial quality, quantity and purity from any individual's stem cell line created from a standard blood draw. CDI was founded in 2004 by Dr. James Thomson, a pioneer in human pluripotent stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CDI's facilities are located in Madison, Wisconsin. See www.cellulardynamics.com.

About Buck Institute for Research on Aging
The Buck Institute is the U.S.'s first and foremost independent research organization devoted to Geroscience – the study of the connection of normal aging and chronic disease. Based in Novato, California, the Buck is dedicated to extending "healthspan," the healthy years of human life and does so utilizing a unique interdisciplinary approach involving laboratories studying the mechanisms of aging and those focused on specific diseases. Buck scientists strive to discover new ways of detecting, preventing and treating age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, diabetes and stroke. In their collaborative research, they are supported by the most recent developments in genomics, proteomics, stem cell technology, and bioinformatics. For more information: www.thebuck.org.

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SOURCE Cellular Dynamics International