FierceBiotech Names iPierian as One of the 'Fierce 15' Biotech Companies of 2010

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- iPierian, Inc., the leading biopharmaceutical company using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for drug discovery, today announced that FierceBiotech has named iPierian  as one of 2010's Fierce 15, designating it as one of the most promising biotech companies in the industry. Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships and a competitive market position.

"iPierian's scientific advisory board is a Who's Who of stem cell and top disease experts," said John Carroll, editor of FierceBiotech. "By applying cutting-edge work on cell reprogramming and differentiation, iPierian promises to pioneer iPS technology that can offer a radically improved approach to identifying and developing new therapies for some of the world's toughest disease targets, where there are only poor in vivo and in vitro models available."

"Following our 2009 'Fierce 15' award, we are delighted that the editors of FierceBiotech selected iPierian for this recognition again in 2010," said Michael C. Venuti, PhD, CEO of iPierian.  "With our focus on industrializing and applying this transformative technology to drug discovery and development, we look forward to advancing our proprietary therapeutic programs, and to entering collaborative arrangements with pharmaceutical companies and foundations over the coming year."

About iPierian

iPierian is the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the industrialization of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and directed differentiation of patient cells for the discovery and development of new therapeutics. iPierian's approach places the patient at the forefront of the drug discovery process in order to reduce drug development time and increase the probability of success by using precise human disease models to develop proprietary small molecule or biologic therapeutics. The initial therapeutic focus of the company is neurodegenerative diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease, in addition to a broad therapeutic area program intended for partnering in metabolic disease.

The company's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is comprised of leading researchers and authorities in the stem cell field, including individual investigators from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, The Gladstone Institute and The University of California, San Francisco.  Our scientific founders are George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D., Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D., and Lee L. Rubin, Ph.D. all of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and Deepak Srivastava, M.D., of the Gladstone Institute and UCSF.

iPierian is located in South San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit www.ipierian.com.

About FierceBiotech

FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor - a free email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles, and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval and regulation, biotech company deals and more. More than 75,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Sign up is free at http://www.fiercebiotech.com.

SOURCE iPierian, Inc.