Madison, Wisconsin (PRWEB) September 06, 2016 -- BrainXell Inc. (Madison, Wisconsin) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF; Madison, Wisconsin) have announced a global licensing agreement covering selected patents on the production of neural stem and progenitors cells as well as neuronal subtypes and glia. BrainXell is developing and commercializing cell products produced using these methods. The technology covered by this patent portfolio was developed in the laboratory of Dr. Su-Chun Zhang, the Steenbock Professor in Behavioral and Neural Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and co-founder of BrainXell. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
“We use our proprietary technology to direct human iPSCs to subtype-specific neural progenitors followed by expansion and rapid maturation. This approach allows for large-scale production of highly enriched functional neurons with consistent quality for drug discovery and cell therapy,” said Professor Su-Chun Zhang.
“BrainXell is now capable of developing neural cell differentiation technologies through its relationship with WARF.,” said Zhong-Wei Du, Chief Scientific Officer at BrainXell. “We are expanding our product offerings with patient variants of neural cells, which are crucial to a broad range of research efforts for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. We will advance our research and discovery in the area of stem cell technology and provide our customers with the tools necessary in this important, breakthrough area.”
“WARF has enjoyed a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with Dr. Zhang over the last decade,” said Erik Iverson, Managing Director of WARF. “We applaud his great work and are delighted to play a role in the formation of his start-up enterprise, BrainXell, Inc., that promises to benefit the lives of patients worldwide as well as contribute to Wisconsin’s economy through life-science advancements.”
About WARF
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) helps steward the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Founded in 1925 as an independent, nonprofit foundation, WARF manages more than 1,700 patents and an investment portfolio of $2.6 billion as it funds university research, obtains patents for campus discoveries and licenses inventions to industry. For more information, visit warf.org.
About BrainXell Inc.
BrainXell provides its expertise using iPSC-derived neural cells for use on a custom basis to pharmaceutical companies for research programs. Such neural cells may be provided directly to the customer or optimized for screening use at BrainXell Inc., with its experienced team to support assay development. BrainXell was co-founded by Professor Su-Chun Zhang who is the winner of a grant from the University of Wisconsin-Madison D2P (Discovery to Product) program and maintains laboratory facilities adjacent to the WiCell Research Institute. The Company has key licensing agreements with the WARF and iPS Academia Japan, Inc., giving BrainXell the right to use critical, patented technologies for both production of stem cell-derived products and contract manufacturing.
Alfred Gray, BrainXell Inc., +1 716 308 6693, [email protected]
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