DefiniGEN Licenses Lung Stem Cell Technology from University of Cambridge

DefiniGEN has strengthened its IP portfolio with a licence for lung stem cell technology from the University of Cambridge. The technology will be used by DefiniGEN to develop new, optimised cell products and services for drug discovery and the study of lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis.

The technology, licensed to DefiniGEN by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge uses induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, to recreate embryonic lung development in the lab by activating a process known as gastrulation, in which the cells form distinct layers, from which the lung ‘grows’. Uniquely, the technology enables these cells to develop further, into distal airway tissue. The distal airway is the part of the lung responsible for gas exchange and is often implicated in disease, such as cystic fibrosis, some forms of lung cancer and emphysema.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Marcus Yeo, CEO of DefiniGEN, said: “This licence enables us to use stem cells to grow highly functional lung cells on an industrial-scale for the first time. These cell products can then help researchers to elucidate key mechanisms of disease and enable pharmaceutical companies to screen for potential drugs in a reproducible and cost-effective way.”