Ncardia and BlueRock Therapeutics Announce Collaboration Agreement and Licensing of Process Development Technologies for the Manufacture of iPSC-derived Cardiomyocytes

LEIDEN, the Netherlands & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ncardia and BlueRock Therapeutics today announced an agreement covering process development technologies for the manufacture of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes. Under the terms of the agreement, Bluerock gains access to Ncardia’s large-scale production processes and intellectual property for the production of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for therapeutic use.

“BlueRock is a leader in the field of cell therapy and our collaboration is a perfect match of mission and capabilities. This relationship allows us to utilize our experience in iPSC process development to help advance potential cell therapies for cardiac diseases,” said Stefan Braam, CEO of Ncardia.

“There are hundreds of millions of people worldwide that suffer from degenerative cardiovascular disease where the root cause is the loss of healthy heart muscle cells, and where medical treatment options are limited. BlueRock’s authentic cellular therapy is a novel approach that has the potential to transform the lives of patients, but will require the manufacture of our cell therapies at unprecedented scale. The Ncardia team has developed key technologies related to this scale-up challenge, and we are pleased to work with them as we advance BlueRock’s novel CELL+GENE platform towards the clinic and those patients in need,” said Emile Nuwaysir, President and CEO, BlueRock Therapeutics.

About BlueRock Therapeutics

BlueRock Therapeutics, a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a leading engineered cell therapy company with a mission to develop regenerative medicines for intractable diseases. BlueRock Therapeutics’ CELL+GENE™ platform harnesses the power of cells for new medicines across neurology, cardiology and immunology indications. BlueRock Therapeutics’ cell differentiation technology recapitulates the cell’s developmental biology to produce authentic cell therapies, which are further engineered for additional function. Utilizing these cell therapies to replace damaged or degenerated tissue brings the potential to restore or regenerate lost function. BlueRock’s culture is defined by scientific innovation, highest ethical standards and an urgency to bring transformative treatments to all who would benefit. For more information, visit www.bluerocktx.com.

About Ncardia

Ncardia believes that stem cell technology can deliver better therapies to patients faster. We bring cell manufacturing and process development expertise to cell therapy by designing and delivering human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) solutions to specification. Our offerings extend from concept development to pre-clinical studies, including custom manufacturing of a range of cell types, as well as discovery services such as disease modelling, screening, and safety assays. For more information, visit www.ncardia.com.

Contacts

BlueRock:

[email protected]

Ncardia:

Steven Dublin

[email protected]