The team of Japanese doctors, led by cardiac surgeon Yoshiki Sawa at Osaka University, will useiPS cells to create a sheet of 100 million heart-muscle cells.It will be the second clinical application of iPS cells in Japan and third worldwide (RIKEN, Cynata Therapeutics, and now, Osaka University).

The growing popularity of iPSC technology has also been attracting investments from the commercial sector. Notably, in December 2016, Bayer AG and Versant Ventures formed a start-up named BlueRock Therapeutics focused on iPSCs therapy. The company raised funding of USD $225 million, the largest iPSC financing round ever.

The largest company manufacturing iPS cells isCellular Dynamics International, a Fujifilm company. The company is widely known as Fujifilm CDI.

Fujifilm CDI manufactures biologically relevant human cells derived from iPS cells. Its iCell and donor-specific MyCell Products are highly pure, highly reproducible, and available in industrial quantity to enable drug discovery, toxicity testing, stem cell banking, and cell therapy development.

Within Europe, the largest iPS cell developer and manufacturer is Ncardia, a company formed in September 2017 by the merger of Axiogenesis and Pluriomics.Ncardia is the largest supplier in Europe and the second largest iPS cell company in the world after Fujifilm CDI.

Ncardia is a private company with operations in Europe and the US that produces and commercializes high-quality, fully functional hiPSC derived cardiovascular and neuronal cell types. It also develops electrophysiology, biochemistry,and contraction based assays to support drug development and discovery.

There are also dozens of other suppliers of iPS cell lines, differentiated cell types, kits, assays, reprogramming services, and more.

Today, methods for commercializing iPS cells are still being explored, as clinical studies investigating them remain low in number. One of the greatest challenges is to establish standards across the industry for cell quality and functionality in order to protect patient safety.

To learn more about iPS cells, view the video below:

If you found this blog valuable, subscribe to BioInformants stem cell industry updates.

As the first and only market research firm to specialize in the stem cell industry, BioInformant research is cited by The Wall Street Journal, Xconomy, AABB, and Vogue Magazine. Bringing you breaking news on an ongoing basis, we encourage you to join more than half a million loyal readers, including physicians, scientists, executives, and investors.

Do you think iPS cells are safe for use within cell therapy? What do you see as their pros and cons? Leave your thought in the comments section below.

Up Next:Worlds First Clinical Application of iPS Cells for Cardiac Disease

Editors Note: This post was originally published on June 25, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Read more from the original source:
What Are Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells? | Intro to the ...