Lonza : FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics and Lonza Agree to Expand the Availability and Use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology

• FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics grantsLonza a non-exclusive right to use their patents related to iPSC generation, including episomal vectors and reprogramming factors, for development and clinical manufacture of iPSC lines for cell therapies
• Lonza grants FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics expanded use of its non-exclusive license to its innovative Nucleofector™ technology
• The agreement enables drug developers to leverage both companies expertise and technologies for the generation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells through licensing agreements

Quote from Alberto Santagostino, SVP, Head of Cell and Gene Technologies, Lonza:

'As true leaders in our field, both companies came to an agreement which benefits our customers and brings clarity to the industry. ''It shows our common goal to make high quality iPSC therapies available at affordable cost to our customers. Additionally, we are pleased to expand the license-use of our innovative Nucleofector™ technology granted to FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics. This agreement further strengthens our leading end-to-end proprietary service offering for iPSCs. In combination with Lonza's L7™ hPSC Culture System and non-viral 4D-Nucleofector™ Transfection Technology, this represents an excellent approach for reprogramming and culturing GMP grade iPSCs.'

Quote from Takeshi Yamamoto, chief executive officer, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics:

'FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics is a key global player with the technology and expertise in iPSC episomal generation enabling high quality, purity and reproducibility. We are pleased to reach this outcome with Lonza to produce iPSC lines to better serve drug developers. We expect to grant additional patent licenses to pharmaceutical and biotech companies to support the growth of available cell therapies.'

Madison, Wis., and Walkersville, Md., 12 November 2020 - FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc., a leading global developer and manufacturer of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) technologies, and Lonza Walkersville, Inc. (Lonza, a leading global GMP iPSC manufacturer), have entered into a worldwide agreement. The agreement enables drug developers to leverage both companies' expertise and technologies for the generation of iPSCs through licensing agreements.

Under the agreement, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics grants Lonza a non-exclusive right to use their patents related to iPSC generation, including episomal vectors and reprogramming factors, for the clinical manufacture and differentiation of iPSC lines for cell therapies. Furthermore, Lonza grants FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics expanded use of its non-exclusive license to its innovative Nucleofector™ technology, to enable efficient transfection of cells, stem cell and cell lines.

Cell therapies have emerged as a promising treatment modality with the ability to augment, repair, or replace human biology, including organs, tissues and cells. Given their incredible capacity to self-renew and the ability to become many different cell types, iPSCs are a critical material used in the development and manufacture of cell therapies