The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency headquarters in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province / Yonhap
Korea’s National Stem Cell Bank will begin distributing clinical-grade induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to researchers and biotech firms later this month, a move expected to significantly lower the financial and regulatory barriers gripping the country’s regenerative medicine sector.
iPSCs are adult cells, like skin or blood cells, that have been genetically reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like state, allowing them to turn into any type of cell in the human body.
The distribution program, scheduled to accept applications on June 30, follows the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) breakthrough assembly of the cells in March. By establishing a formalized regulatory contract system, the government can now provide raw materials directly to laboratories developing advanced biopharmaceuticals, including cell therapies and artificial blood.
For the country’s nascent biotechnology sector, the logistical assistance is immense.
