Crowdsourcing cells
Orig3n's iPS cell-derived cohorts mimic trial populations and cost 90% less
Most suppliers of research-grade induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells provide samples from a small number of individuals, limiting the customer's ability to study a diverse patient population, and charge prices that make routine use of the cells impractical for academic labs and small biotechs. With its proprietary reprogramming technologies and a bank of cells derived from nearly one million people, Orig3n Inc. has created a platform to produce entire "cohorts" of cells that mimic clinical trial populations at one-tenth the price of its competitors.
"We have methodologies that allow us to make cardiomyocytes at $99 a vial; that's an order of magnitude less expensive than what anyone else is doing," CEO Robin Smith told BioCentury. "Why spend $1,000 on a vial of cells from one patient when you could get 10 vials of cells from different patients?" ...