EMD Millipore Obtains Global Licensing Agreement for Induced Pluripotent Stem(iPS) Cell Patent Technology With iPS Academia Japan, Inc.

BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, and iPS Academia Japan, Inc. (Kyoto, Japan) today announced a global licensing agreement for AJ’s induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell patent portfolio. The non-exclusive agreement provides EMD Millipore the opportunity to continue to develop and ultimately commercialize iPS cells for research applications. Under the agreement, EMD Millipore will continue to offer its STEMCCA™ reprogramming kits, which provide a highly efficient, reproducible method for creating iPS cells. The iPS cell patent portfolio is a result of work by Professor Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University, Japan. Terms of the agreement are not disclosed.