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BD Biosciences and StemCell Technologies Sign License Agreements with WARF
Commercialization of Novel Culture Media and Surfaces for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

19 Jun 2007 - BD Biosciences, a segment of global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and StemCell Technologies, Inc. announced that they have each entered into a worldwide license agreement with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The agreements will allow BD Biosciences and StemCell Technologies to develop and commercialize novel growth media and validated tissue culture surfaces that together offer a complete cell culture environment for human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
The agreements also mark the beginning of a strategic collaboration between BD Biosciences and StemCell Technologies, which aims to provide products that are superior in quality, performance and reliability to facilitate and support the field of stem cell research. The development of these products arises from primary research performed by Dr. James Thomson and Dr. Tenneille Ludwig at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the WiCell(TM) Research Institute, a non-profit subsidiary of WARF.
 
The first commercial products expected from these new license agreements and collaboration are a defined medium and compatible tissue culture surface to support the feeder-independent maintenance of hESC - a major advance in current state-of-the-art cell culture conditions.