BOSTON, March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ORIG3N, Inc., a pioneer in regenerative medicine and provider of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) storage, called LifeCapsule, today announced that it has been nominated for the SXSW “Sci-Fi No Longer” Interactive Innovation Award. ORIG3N is the only biotechnology company in the country that is crowdsourcing blood samples to create a new approach to the understanding and treatment of a variety of diseases.
ORIG3N is transforming the future of medicine by building LifeCapsulethe world’s largest biorepository of iPSCs. Anyone can contribute to LifeCapsule by donating a small sample of blood (less than a teaspoon) to advance medical research. ORIG3N is using Nobel Prize-winning technology to reprogram each blood sample into iPSCs, which are then used to grow different cell types including neurons, heart cells and liver cells. These cells offer a powerful tool for accurate disease modeling outside of the body.
“We are so thankful to the tens of thousands of people in communities across the country who have graciously donated a small sample of blood to make our vision for the future of medicine a reality,” said Robin Y. Smith, CEO of ORIG3N. “By crowdsourcing blood samples we are paving the way to remove the trial and error approach of the diagnosis and treatment of disease.”
During the SXSW conference, ORIG3N will be the first and only company to collect blood samples onsite. Event attendees and the Austin community are invited to join ORIG3N’s team of certified medical professionals to contribute to LifeCapsule at the JW Marriott Hotel, Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The ORIG3N LifeCapsule lounge will be located outside Griffin Hall (between Panel Room 205 and Brazos).
In recognition of ORIG3N’s achievements in advancing personalized medicine, the company was nominated for a SXSW Interactive Innovation award in the “Sci-Fi No Longer” category. The award recognizes “the coolest scientific achievements or discovery that before 2015 was only possible in science fiction.” The winner will be announced at the SXSW conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
This new patient-powered model in medical research is consistent with the policy objectives reflected in President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, which is supporting the advancement of biomedical discoveries that will provide clinicians with new tools, knowledge and therapies to select which treatments will work best for which patients.
In addition to LifeCapsule, individuals can sign up for a LifeProfilegenetic tests related to fitness and skin health to help people make more informed choices about their lifestyles. These tests will be available onsite at SXSW.
About ORIG3N, Inc.
ORIG3N is leading a transformation in the understanding and treatment of rare, genetically inherited diseases. We’ve established the world’s largest uniformly consented cell repository to better understand the cellular and molecular foundations of disease. The cells are ever-renewing and give rise to a living database of humanity we call LifeCapsule. Thousands of people have already contributed to advancing the future of healthcareand to safeguarding their own future health. The founders are serial entrepreneurs whose previous venture, ArtusLabs, was acquired by PerkinElmer in 2011.
For more information, visit www.orig3n.com
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SOURCE ORIG3N Inc.
