MADISON, Wis., Oct. 16, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) (Nasdaq:ICEL), announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued Patent No. 8,557,580 entitled "Methods and Compositions for the Differentiation of Stem Cells" on October 15. The newly issued patent relates to the method by which induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are differentiated into the diverse types of endothelial (blood vessel) and hematopoietic (blood) cells.
This method is used by CDI for the creation of its iCell® and MyCell® Products and enables the production of high quality cells at industrial volumes. Endothelial cells are important for the study of vascular disease research and therapy, including atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaques within blood vessels that can lead to tissue damage and even death), the body's inflammatory responses to general injury, and the generation of new blood vessels and tissues during healing. Hematopoietic cells include a diverse set of cell types, including erythroid cells (red blood cells), lymphocytes (white blood cells), and myelocytes (bone marrow cells). Readily available, high quality sources of these cells may lead to improvements in many clinical settings including cell-based therapies, cancer treatments, organ transplantation, and treatment for autoimmune diseases.
Bob Palay, chairman and chief executive officer of CDI, said, "CDI is committed to innovation and working to create the tissue cells critical to research impacting human health. This patent covers a reliable, scalable method for creating a consistent supply of blood and blood vessel cells in high quality, quantity and purity from iPS cells and continues CDI's intellectual property strategy of assembling a broad portfolio of patents and licenses for all of our products."
This is the fifth patent issued to CDI this year, adding to an intellectual property portfolio of over 700 patents.
About Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.
Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI) is a leading developer of induced pluripotent stem cell technologies for in vitro drug development, stem cell banking and in vivo cellular therapeutic research. CDI harnesses its unique manufacturing technology to produce differentiated tissue cells in industrial quality, quantity and purity from any individual's induced pluripotent stem cell line created from a standard blood draw. CDI was founded in 2004 by Dr. James Thomson, a pioneer in human pluripotent stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CDI's facilities are located in Madison, Wisconsin, with a second facility in Novato, California. See www.cellulardynamics.com.
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Forward-looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Cellular Dynamics International, Inc., including the impact of the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 8,557,580, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our product development efforts, actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Cellular Dynamics undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company in general, see Cellular Dynamic's quarterly report on Form 10‑Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 29, 2013.