Roche and BioLamina collaborate on novel cell culture systems

Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) has signed an R&D agreement with Sweden’s BioLamina to jointly develop new cell culture systems for various applications, including stem cell research. Financial details of the accord were not disclosed.

The collaboration will focus on assessing laminin-based in-vitro cell culture matrices offering highly physiological microenvironments for living cells. Under the terms of the deal, Roche will provide R&D funding and scientific expertise to BioLamina.

Laminins are proteins located in the extracellular matrix providing the stability essential for cell growth and behaviour. They are the only protein group in this environment that have a tissue-specific distribution, including expression of specific laminins during embryonic development. This makes them a very interesting target for new biologically relevant cell culturing techniques.