BELTSVILLE, MD. — REPROCELL Inc. and Fox Chase, Ltd., a member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center family of organizations, have formed a joint venture to begin operations of multi-site biosample repository facilities globally. The new Delaware-based joint venture company, Biorepository LLC, will act as a hub to manage its global subsidiaries, and its first subsidiary will be established in India in March.
Initial development is currently underway in Hyderabad, India, with plans to expand to multiple repository sites in India later this year. The facilities will add approximately 3,000 new bio-samples monthly. Specimens will be collected using the highest United States regulatory standards of patient consent and supported by de-identified annotations that include medical history, mutation data as well as detailed records of treatment protocols and outcomes.
“The research community’s demand for access to clinical-grade bio-specimens in India has gone largely unmet. Through our partnership with Fox Chase Cancer Center, we plan to change that,” said Dr. Chikafumi Yokoyama, CEO of REPROCELL. “We will thoughtfully and carefully expand an inventory of bio-samples in India using the same rigorous quality-assurance standards we employ at our facilities in the US, including the collection and storage of all associated annotated clinical and genetic information and bioinformatics data analytics.”
As a leading provider of biomaterials, REPROCELL is deeply engaged with cancer and other disease research being conducted by pharma, biotech, and leading academic research institutions worldwide.
“We look forward to a long and successful alliance with REPROCELL,” said Dr. Richard I. Fisher, president & CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center. “Collaborations like this are an important way to advance successful cancer research around the world.”
About REPROCELL Inc.
REPROCELL Inc. (4978: TSE JASDAQ) was established in 2003 with a goal of contributing to people’s health and welfare through the development of stem cell technologies. REPROCELL successfully went public in 2013 as the first iPS cell company on JASDAQ, the Tokyo Stock Exchange Market, and then started to expand the business globally and rapidly through several M&As. REPROCELL is pursuing business areas in human stem cell technologies, predictive drug discovery services, genomic services, and biorepository. For more information, see www.REPROCELL.com.
About Fox Chase Cancer Center
The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center and its affiliates (collectively “Fox Chase Cancer Center”), a member of the Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence four consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX CHASE or (1-888-369-2427).
