CAMBRIDGE, MA and SEATTLE, WA, October 3, 2017 – BlueRock Therapeutics and Universal Cells Inc. today announced that they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines useful for the manufacture of allogeneic cellular therapies.
“BlueRock is at the cutting edge of the cell therapy field and our collaboration with the company represents an important step in their efforts to develop off-the-shelf cell therapies for degenerative diseases,” said Claudia Mitchell, Ph.D., CEO of Universal Cells. “We are honored that our technology will support the advancement of BlueRock’s cell therapies.”
Under the terms of the agreement, BlueRock and Universal Cells will collaborate to engineer iPS cell lines for clinical use. The agreement grants BlueRock commercial rights to use the engineered cell lines for undisclosed therapeutic applications.
“This partnership with Universal Cells provides us with an important technology useful to advance universally-compatible, allogeneic cell therapies,” said Emile Nuwaysir, Ph.D., president and CEO of BlueRock. “There are hundreds of millions of patients suffering from degenerative diseases where the root cause is the loss of healthy cells. BlueRock is developing breakthrough cell therapies to treat these diseases, and Universal Cells is an excellent technology partner in that endeavor.”
About BlueRock Therapeutics
Driven by a vision to liberate patients from the burden of degenerative disease, BlueRock Therapeutics is ushering in a new era of cell-based medicine that repairs the body when it cannot repair itself. Founded in 2016 through one of the largest Series A financings in biotech history, BlueRock and its team of preeminent scientists are pioneering cell therapies that replace dead, damaged or dysfunctional cells to restore critical natural functions in the body. Using an approach that can be applied to multiple diseases with great unmet need, BlueRock is initially targeting severe brain and heart conditions, with the goal of altering the course of disease and drastically improving quality of life. BlueRock’s culture is defined by scientific innovation, highest ethical standards and an urgency to bring transformative treatments to all who would benefit. For more information, visit www.bluerocktx.com.
About Universal Cells Inc.
Universal Cells, Inc. is a Seattle-based biotech developing and commercializing stem cell therapies that overcome immune rejection and can be used to create true off-the-shelf therapeutic products. Using the company’s proprietary genome editing approach, the company engineers stem cells to prevent expression of polymorphic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules, removing the cause of donor tissue rejection and creating Universal Donor Stem Cells that are compatible with every patient. For more information: http://www.universalcells.com.
BlueRock Media Contact
Jessica Dyas
Canale Communications
jessica@canalecomm.com
619-849-5385
Universal Cells Media Contact
Dr. Gregory Block
VP of Corporate Development
gjblock@universalcells.com
206-588-6506
