Singapore, Jan 5, 2009: Stem Cell Sciences, a company focused on the commercialization of stem cells and stem cell technologies, announced the signing of a further licence to its IRES technology.

 

According to the company, the undisclosed licensee is a major research-based international pharmaceutical company in the top 20 by market capitalization and annual sales and it will use the technology in its own research and development activities. Financial terms are not disclosed for this fully paid-up licence. This follows the recent signing of an IRES licence in November 2008 with a European company that provides genetically modified rat and mouse models for medical and pharmaceutical research for $750,000 over the next six years.

 

SCS’ IRES (Internal Ribosome Entry Site) technology enables researchers to monitor the activity of a particular gene of interest in living cells or tissues without blocking the normal function of the gene. In particular, IRES is important for evaluating the success of gene knock-outs or knock-ins in stem cells, which is crucial for the successful creation of transgenic mouse and rat disease models.

 

Dr Alastair Riddell, CEO, Stem Cell Sciences said, “We are delighted that our more robust approach to seeking licences to our intellectual property in the stem cell field is beginning to pay off. We expect to be making further similar announcements over the coming months.”