Bayer, Versant investing $225M in stem cell start-up
On Monday, Bayer AG (Xetra:BAYN) and Versant Ventures are expected to announce the launch of stem cell company BlueRock Therapeutics with an initial joint funding of $225 million. The company will develop therapies to treat Parkinson’s disease and for regeneration of heart muscles after heart attacks.
BlueRock, which hasn’t announced its headquarters, has licensed stem cell IP from Kyoto University. Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at the university's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for his discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent. The newco also has partnered with researchers from the McEwen Center for Regenerative Medicine in Toronto and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. ...