The Scientist Magazine Recognizes Cellular Dynamics International's iCell™ Cardiomyocytes Among the Winners of 'Top 10 Innovations of 2010'

MADISON, Wis., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellular Dynamics International's (CDI) iCell™ Cardiomyocytes have been recognized among the top five winners of the "Top 10 Innovations of 2010" by The Scientist magazine. CDI is the world's largest manufacturer of human cardiomyocytes and is the only company in the world to produce human cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).  The company's iCell Cardiomyocytes product was selected due to its demonstration of the rapid advance from basic stem cell science to new stem cell-based applied technology. CDI's iCell Cardiomyocytes product line was launched within two years of founder Dr. James Thomson's breakthrough publication in Science on human iPSCs.  Additionally, the judges saw these iPSC-derived heart cells as a product that transitions experimental cell biology from using the most convenient cell types to using the most relevant for a particular study.

"We are thrilled to have our iCell Cardiomyocytes product line recognized by The Scientist," said Bob Palay, Chairman and CEO of CDI.  "Our iCell Cardiomyocytes product line is just the first of many new products to come.  Within the next year iCell Hepatocytes, Neurons, and Endothelial Cells will be rolling off our production line.  The beauty of our product development and manufacturing technology is that we can utilize it to develop and manufacture virtually any cell type from virtually any person that our customers select."  

The Scientist gathered a panel of expert judges to evaluate a broad range of life science technologies and determined the best innovations to hit the life sciences market in 2010. The winners' list includes tools that streamline research efficiency to cutting-edge advances in cellular models.  iCell Cardiomyocytes enable researchers to conduct drug discovery and toxicity testing as well as basic research on human cells that reflect human biology more closely than the primary animal cells, cadaveric, or tumor cells lines in use today.

"The problem our pharmaceutical and academic research customers face today is that current cell models are inadequate, because they do not truly represent human biology," said Chris Parker, chief commercial officer of CDI.  "There is strong interest from researchers for human cells that are available in large quantities and at a consistently high quality and purity so that large-scale experiments can be conducted.  iCell Cardiomyocytes meet those goals: improving the efficiency and effectiveness of drug discovery and safety testing; demonstrating consistent performance experiment after experiment; and enabling in vitro clinical trials before drugs are tested on humans."

To read the full article of The Scientist, please visit www.the-scientist.com/top10innovations.

About Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.

Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI) is a leading developer and marketer of next-generation stem cell technologies for drug development and personalized medicine applications.  CDI harnesses the power of pluripotent stem cells and their ability to differentiate into any cell type for world-class drug development tools.  In addition, it is the leader in iPSC technology, the production of pluripotent stem cell lines from adult tissue.  CDI was founded in 2004 by Dr. James Thomson, a pioneer in human embryonic stem cells from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Tactics II Ventures, a Wisconsin-based private equity fund. CDI's facilities are located in Madison, Wisconsin.  See www.cellulardynamics.com.

SOURCE Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.