Qkine, a UK-based stem cell technology developer spun out from University of Cambridge, signed a key licensing agreement with the institutions tech transfer office Cambridge Enterprise on Tuesday.

The deal relates to Activin A production technology. Activin A, and related proteins, is one of the crucial elements in mimicking the environment in the human body and helps turn stem cells into specific cell types.

The technology was developed by co-founder Marko Hyvnen from the Department of Biochemistry.

Qkine was incorporated in November 2016 before securing a Pathfinder investment from Cambridge Enterprise the following month to facilitate setting up the business. It then began operations as an embedded company at the Department of Biochemistry in April.

Qkine aims to manufacture bioactive proteins that have applications in regenerative medicine and stem cell research. There is a need for this technology in a wide range of clinical areas, from disease modelling and drug screening to precision medicine.

MarkoHyvnen said: I have been providing growth factors to the Cambridge stem cell community for almost a decade.

Demand is growing from labs outside Cambridge and forming Qkine will allow us to focus on producing the highest quality cytokines for these scientists and establish a unique UK-based supplier of one of the enabling technologies for regenerative medicine, one of the priority areas for British manufacturing recently identified by the government.

Iain Thomas, head of life sciences at Cambridge Enterprise, said: Qkine is a great example of how opportunities are incubated in the university until the commercial time is right.

We are delighted that Qkine is taking this technology into the stem cell and regenerative medicine markets both of which are important and rapidly growing.

Read more here:
Qkine synchronises licensing deal - Global University Venturing