EMD Millipore and Sistemic Collaborate to Identify Control Markers for Stem Cell Production

EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has announced a new initiative with Sistemic Ltd., a leading provider of microRNA-based problem-solving services and kit-based products. The two companies are jointly developing a proprietary monitoring methodology utilizing Sistemic's microRNA marker detection capability to enable consistent growth of stem cells in EMD Millipore's Mobius® CellReady platform. These markers could also be incorporated into a commercially-available kit for quality control of stem cells in culture.

"To advance the progress of stem cell products toward clinical use, it is critical to ensure the consistency and quality of large-scale culture systems," said Robert Shaw, Commercial Director of EMD Millipore's Stem Cell Initiative. "We are excited to be partnering with Sistemic, as the company's leading microRNA-based solutions will help us continue our efforts toward the commercialization of stem cell processing."

"We are delighted to enter this collaborative arrangement with EMD Millipore," commented Sistemic Chairman and CEO Jim Reid. "The fact that EMD Millipore has chosen Sistemic as its collaborative partner is yet another validation of our ground-breaking research and ability to develop systems for quality control of stem cells, and other mutually beneficial products and programs."