Thirteen More Companies Join CCRM's Industry Consortium as Associate Members

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 25, 2014) - The Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine's (CCRM) industry consortium is growing with the addition of 13 new companies to its associate membership category. CCRM's industry consortium is now a group of almost 40 companies formed to address bottlenecks in regenerative medicine product pipelines by enabling industry to engage with CCRM's broad network of researchers and institutions.

"CCRM's industry consortium is critical to build a global regenerative medicine nexus in Canada," says Michael May, President and CEO of CCRM. "By establishing collaborative projects with our industry consortium members, we are not only accelerating the development of products to market, but we are also creating jobs."

The following companies have joined CCRM's industry consortium as associate members:

Blood Centers of America - Compass Biomedical - ATTC - BioLife Solutions - Cell Scale - Life Technologies - Medinet - Miltenyi - Nikon - Primorigen Biosciences - PCT - Sistemic - Steminent

CCRM's industry consortium represents the key sectors in regenerative medicine - therapeutics, devices, reagents, and cells as tools - and tremendous industry experience. To balance the demand for new membership and CCRM's responsibility to maintain an effective and efficient consortium, it has added an associate membership category. The two levels, together, form a strong business network that benefits both academic and industry stakeholders.

For a full list of CCRM's industry consortium and associate members, please visit www.ccrm.ca/industry-consortium.

About the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM)

CCRM, a Canadian not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence program and six academic partners, supports the development of technologies that accelerate the commercialization of stem cell- and biomaterials-based technologies and therapies. A network of academics, industry and entrepreneurs, CCRM aims to translate scientific discoveries into marketable products for patients. CCRM launched in Toronto's Discovery District on June 14, 2011. CCRM is hosted by the University of Toronto.

CCRM focuses on three core development themes: cell reprogramming and engineering; cell manufacturing; and, biomaterials and devices to carry out projects commissioned by academia and industry. CCRM has a fully resourced, 6,000 square foot development facility where all development work takes place.