EMD Millipore and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine collaborate on stem cell cultivation

EMD Millipore, a division of Merck, and the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, a Canadian nonprofit, have announced a collaboration to develop optimized conditions for bioreactor-based cultivation of stem cells. This joint project will focus on the development of a proprietary monitoring and control methodology, enabling robust growth of adherent human pluripotent stem cells. "As the demand for stem cells used in drug discovery and clinical applications grows, effectively translating the promise of stem cells into therapeutic reality will require large-scale, industrialized production under tightly controlled conditions," said Robert Shaw, Commercial Director of EMD Millipore's Stem Cell Initiative. "At this time, production is typically achieved using stacks of 2D tissue culture vessels, which is an expensive and labor intensive process. This joint project will address those challenges.”