The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute today announced a partnership with Ngene Therapeutics Inc. (Ngene) to develop new disease treatments that leverage human stem cell research and novel gene editing techniques.

NYSCF will serve as a key partner to Ngene in stem cell derivation and differentiation towards the generation of high-quality cell lines for disease research and of clinical-grade, good manufacturing practice (GMP) cell lines for cell-based therapies.

Ngene, a newly-founded joint venture between the gene editing company ToolGen and the biomedical company nSAGE, is dedicated to creating novel and effective gene-editing-based stem cell therapies for acute alcoholic hepatitis, various neuroinflammatory indications, and other diseases. The NYSCF Research Institute is a pioneer and acknowledged leader in stem cell technology, having developed the NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM, the premier automated robotic platform for reprogramming adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). NYSCF in 2018 began a collaboration with ToolGen and nSAGE that integrates gene editing and stem cell technologies to develop new treatments, and its partnership with Ngene represents a continuation of this work.

"Our mission is to bring lifesaving treatments to patients around the world and we are delighted to further this goal in partnership with ToolGen, nSAGE, and Ngene," says NYSCF CEO Susan L. Solomon. "It is critical that we collaborate with partners using our technology and expertise to bring innovative treatments to the market."

"We are thrilled to collaborate with NYSCF and ToolGen to develop novel stem cell products that leverage the ongoing evolution of gene editing technology," says Bonghee Lee, CEO of Ngene. "By establishing our corporation in Maryland, Ngene hopes to chart the leading edge of biomedical innovation by conquering intractable diseases with next-generation stem cells and their derivatives."

Ngene offices will be located in Rockville, Maryland, in close vicinity to the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration.