CAMDEN, N.J., Sept. 1, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coriell Institute today announced the availability of the world's largest human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) bank, which will enable disease research and drug discovery. Eleven common diseases are represented in the new California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) hPSC Repository at Coriell. The first 300 lines available this month will expand to 750 lines by February 2016.
The new resource contains iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell) lines representing autism, epilepsy and other childhood neurological disorders; blinding eye diseases; heart, lung and liver diseases; Alzheimer's disease, and relevant control samples.
"This new stem cell collection will allow researchers to study molecular mechanisms of disease within specific tissues of interest, leading to better understandings of disease and possibilities for prevention," says Dr. Michael Christman, president and CEO of Coriell Institute.
The initiative is funded by a $10M grant awarded to Coriell from the CIRM supporting the establishment of a West Coast biobank facility and management of a powerful stem cell collection accessible to academic and industry researchers around the world.
"Coriell's biobanking expertise and strong infrastructure have been instrumental in standing up this new collection which will accelerate the development of stem cell therapies for patients with unmet medical needs," says Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, Chair of CIRM's governing Board.
iPSC lines in the CIRM hPSC Repository are created using donor samples submitted by a consortium of researchers at elite California academic centers, including University of California Los Angeles, Stanford, UC San Diego and UC San Francisco. Upwards of 3,000 volunteer donors will participate. Samples from donors are reprogrammed by Cellular Dynamics International, Inc., an authority on stem cell production, before being banked in Coriell's California facility within the Buck Institute (Novato, CA). All specimens are accompanied by comprehensive demographic and clinical data, along with patient consents, and are securely stored and distributed to researchers by Coriell.
"Coriell is relied upon for cryopreservation and distribution of biological specimens," says Christman. "We manage many large and complex collections of cells, DNA, RNA and biofluids with rich clinical data that are used worldwide to improve human health through scientific research."
To learn more about the diverse samples available through the CIRM hPSC Repository at Coriell, visit catalog.coriell.org/CIRM or email CIRM@coriell.org.
"iPSCs are proving to be powerful tools for disease modeling, drug discovery and the development of cell therapies, capturing human disease and individual genetic variability in ways that are not possible with other cellular models," says Kaz Hirao, CDI Chairman and CEO.
The cutting-edge iPS cell work taking place at Coriell is also supported by research awards from the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute for General Medical Sciences, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Aging in addition to the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation.
About Coriell Institute
Coriell Institute for Medical Research is a pioneer in genomics, examining the utility of genetic information in clinical care through the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC) research study (cpmc.coriell.org). Coriell is also unlocking the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells and their role in disease research and drug discovery. Additionally, the Institute continues to be recognized as the world's leading biobank, distributing biological samples and offering research and biobanking services to scientists around the globe. For more information, visit coriell.org and catalog.coriell.org or follow @Coriell_Science on Twitter.