MADISON, Wisconsin — Stem cell company Cellular Dynamics International Inc. has received a $31 million investment, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company specializes in pluripotent stem cells, which can differentiate into any cell type for use in drug development.
Cellular Dynamics in December launched its first product, iCell Cardiomyocytes, human heart cells designed to aid drug discovery and improve the predictability of drug compounds, according to a statement from the company. The company creates the cells by taking cells from a person’s own blood or other tissue and chemically reversing them back to a pluripotent state, Technology Review reported.
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Researchers can use the cells to study a range of areas, including toxicity of new or existing drugs, to the electrodynamics of both healthy and diseased cardiac cells.
In November 2008, the 50-employee company closed on an $18 million Series A financing round. Northbrook, Illinois-based Tactics II Stem Cell Ventures LP led the round with participation from Tactics II Ventures LP and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
It’s unclear whether the $31 million described in the regulatory filing is inclusive of the $18 million sum announced previously. It’s likely that it is, however, the company hasn’t previously filed any documents with the SEC. A spokeswoman for Cellular Dynamics didn’t immediately return a call and Tactics II didn’t immediately return an e-mail.
The company was founded in 2004 by stem cell pioneer Dr. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin.
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“CDI’s stem cell-based tools offer an unprecedented opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to have access to cell types that were previously impossible to obtain,” Thomson said in a November news release. “The true value of these cell types is in their ability to enable safer drug development.”
