Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics and Axxam Team Up for Drug Discovery Platform

Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics and Axxam, an Italy-based partner research organization, announced on Oct. 8, 2020 that they are entering into a strategic alliance to provide drug discovery researchers and scientists with a platform of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-based assays, drug discovery technologies to enable target assessment, high-throughput screening (HTS), and high-content screening.

Through the partnership, Axxam will expand its portfolio of human disease-relevant cellular models while providing expertise on the screening process, data analysis, and hit selection criteria for the development of new hiPSC-based applications, an Axxam press release said. Fujifilm will offer knowledge on hiPSC development and manufacture, standardized and homogenous batches of hiPSC-derived cells, reproducible large-scale screens, and long-term projects under the terms of the partnership.

“hiPSCs-derived cells are becoming increasingly important for the drug discovery process, representing a more physiologically relevant cellular environment with a big impact on translational aspects even in the very early phases of the drug discovery process, like target validation and compound screening,” said Stefan Lohmer, CEO of Axxam, in the press release. “Therefore, we are very pleased to announce this strategic alliance with Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics. As the leading expert in the hiPSC field, Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics has high-quality standards, which are fundamental for conducting robust discovery projects. The complementary technical know-how between Axxam and Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics along with a common philosophy based on scientific excellence will provide clients with tailor made cutting-edge solutions.”

“Our scientists have devoted 13 years of collective effort to innovating in the field of hiPSCs and establishing processes that enable robust differentiation into over 16 different cell types,” added Nick Manusos, CEO, Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics, in the press release. “Today, we are pleased to offer even more hiPSC-based drug discovery solutions through our alliance with Axxam. Our new integrated hiPSC offering will enable scientists and researchers to approach even more drug discovery and early development projects with biologically-relevant cells, which will have a profound impact on the way research is conducted.”

Source: Axxam​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​