Kyoto University, iZumi Bio collaborate on pluripotent stem cell technology

Kyoto University and iZumi Bio Inc. said they are collaborating to promote research, development and application of induced pluripotent stem cell technology -- a form of cellular reprogramming which originated in Japan -- with the goal of advancing drug discovery and enabling cell-based therapies.

South San Francisco-based iZumi Bio, a privately held company, is backed by firms that include Menlo Park's Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Kleiner Perkins partner and former U.S. vice president Al Gore said stem cell research "holds great promise for the creation of new therapies that could revolutionize the treatment of disorders such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes and muscular dystrophy. The discovery that iPS cell technology brings, that 'stem cell-like' cells can be generated from a small amount of human skin rather than from embryos, opens a new door for stem cell research and its application to therapeutic discovery."

Through the collaboration, iZumi and Kyoto University will exchange part of their representative human iPS cell lines. The two organizations also will conduct comparison and characterization studies independently but will share their results to determine which methods produce the most appropriate iPS cell lines for drug screening and development, and those most suitable for cell-based therapy.

GVK Bio ties up with Chinese firm for clinical trials

Hyderabad-based integrated research services provider GVK Biosciences (GVK Bio) and Excel PharmaStudies (Excel), a Chinese clinical research organisation, have entered into a strategic alliance to conduct clinical trials in Asia.

The alliance provides clinical trial sponsors access to the scientific skills, talent pool, flexible resourcing, and cost-effectiveness of both India and China, GVK Bio stated in a press release.

Under the terms of the arrangement, GVK Bio and Excel will help sponsors conduct and manage Phase II-IV clinical trials, statistical analysis and medical writing.  Any India trial for Excel will be carried out by the GVK Bio clinical research team and will be managed by a core project management team of Excel. Similarly, a GVK Bio China trial will be carried out by the Excel team and managed by GVK Bio's project management team.

"This is a first of a kind alliance between an Indian CRO and a Chinese CRO. The GVK Bio-Excel alliance integrates trial management across India and China and provides sponsors with a single point of contact," said Manni Kantipudi, president of GVK Bio.

"It is an important step for Excel, and our clients, to be able to provide full services in both important countries,"  William Xiong, chief executive officer of Excel, stated.

The decision to form such an alliance comes close on heels of GVK Bio's increased focus on clinical development. The company had recently strengthened its team by hiring Shoibal Mukherjee, who was earlier with Pfizer, as its clinical development head.

GVK Bio has also added new services in pharmacovigilance and medical writing operating from its clinical research facility in Gurgaon.