- Stemgent (www.stemgent.com) to market dox-inducible stem cell reprogramming reagents -
HEIDELBERG, Germany, and SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- TET Systems Holding, a privately-held, Heidelberg-based German biotech company, Stemgent, Inc., of Cambridge, MA and San Diego, CA, USA, and Clontech Laboratories, Inc., of Mountain View, CA, USA, announced today that they have entered into a partnership enabling Stemgent to market certain research reagents for inducible stem cell technology based on the Tet Technology. Stemgent will be applying TET Systems’ Tet Technology, based on essential regulatory components of the E. coli tetracycline-resistance operon, to its suite of viral vector systems for the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Once established in the cell line, the inducer doxycycline, a tetracycline derivative, controls the system in a dose-dependent manner, allowing researchers to precisely modulate the expression levels of target genes such as Oct4, Sox2, and other transcription factors identified as important in generation of iPS cells.
The journal Science proclaimed reprogramming - the process by which cells are manipulated from a differentiated state to a pluripotent state, down a new pathway, or directly from one differentiated state to another - to be the Breakthrough of the Year in December 2008.
“The recent discovery that differentiated cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells has already provided new incentives to explore the therapeutic value of cellular therapies. This new technology enables the development of new and innovative therapies for incurable disease while avoiding the legal issues concerning the use of embryonic stem cells. Stemgent is the leading company providing reagents for this new technology to the scientific community based on their close relationship with leading stem cell scientists. We are very happy that Stemgent decided to introduce a set of inducible reagents based on the Tet Technology and welcome Stemgent to our growing family of Authorized Partners, including our primary partner, Clontech, which provides all basic research reagents for the Tet System,” stated Dr. Ernst Boehnlein, CEO of TET Systems Holding and IP Merchandisers.
By licensing this technology from TET Systems, Stemgent is now able to provide more sophisticated tools to the research communities it serves, furthering its mission of advancing stem cell science.
“We are excited to enter into partnership with TET Systems,” added Dr. Stephen Chang, Chief Scientific Officer of Stemgent. “Dr. Hermann Bujard’s pioneering work with the Tet Technology has enabled tremendous advances in developmental biology and, now, stem cell sciences.”
About TET Systems Holding - www.tet-systems.com
TET Systems Holding is a privately held company located in Heidelberg, Germany. TET Systems Holding was founded by Prof. Dr. H. Bujard and colleagues based on their invention of the Tet Technology, the most widely used method to control gene expression in higher organisms. TET Systems Holding owns a broad patent portfolio covering the technology organised in six patent families comprising 29 granted patents and 12 patent applications. TET Systems markets licences to the Tet Technology through its subsidiary IP Merchandisers (www.IP-Merchandisers.com). To date, more than 140 organisations have licensed the Tet Technology including academic institutions and research foundations. The largest group of partners are biotech and pharmaceutical companies, with 18 of the top 20 BIG Pharma (2006) being TET Technology licensees.
About Stemgent - www.stemgent.com
Stemgent moves stem cell science forward by providing proprietary reagents and tools developed by some of the world’s leading stem cell scientists. Stemgent’s product offering has been specifically optimized for and screened against stem cells, and includes small molecules for pluripotency, self-renewal, and differentiation, as well as cytokines, antibodies, transfection reagents, and more. Stemgent’s latest innovations include viral vectors encoding transcription factors necessary for the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This unique product mix is designed to serve researchers who study stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and those who use cells derived from stem cells as tools to advance their understanding of major diseases. With dual headquarters in Boston, MA, and San Diego, CA, Stemgent is well positioned to serve the stem cell research market.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Dr. Ernst Bohnlein, Chief Executive Officer of TET Systems
Holding, +49 (6221) 588 0400, boehnlein@tet-systems.com; or Sarah
Neugebauer, Marketing Manager of Stemgent, +1-858-353-4482,
sarah.neugebauer@stemgent.com
Web site: http://www.tet-systems.com/
