Lonza Announces License Agreement with iPS Academia Japan

Lonza has entered a worldwide, non-exclusive licensing agreement with iPS Academia Japan, Inc for its induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) patent portfolio. By entering this agreement, Lonza demonstrates its commitment to the field of regenerative medicine and reinforces its belief that iPSCs are a key platform technology for the cell therapy market.

In 2007, Dr Shinya Yamanaka and colleagues at Kyoto University became the first to successfully convert adult human cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state. This process, called cellular reprogramming, generated the world’s first human induced pluripotent stem cell line. The following June, iPS Academic Japan was established to manage the intellectual property stemming from this seminal discovery and others made by Dr Yamanaka and his team.

“As the iPSC field advances and clinical applications become closer to reality, Lonza is ready to support our clients in navigating the significant hurdles of process scale-up and optimisation, cGMP manufacturing, and regulatory compliance,“ said Lukas Utiger, Chief Operating Officer of Lonza Bioscience.

"I am very pleased to hear that Lonza, a worldwide biotechnology company, has signed an intellectual property agreement with iPS Academia Japan," said Dr Shinya Yamanaka, Director of the Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University.

“iPS Academia Japan is pleased to grant a non-exclusive license to Lonza, a worldwide leader in lifescience contract manufacturing. Lonza is an ideal partner to drive iPSC technology towards commercial success," said Shosaku Murayama, President and Chief Executive Officer of iPS AJ.