Singapore: Merck Millipore and Sistemic, a leading provider of microRNA-based problem-solving services and kit-based products, are jointly developing a proprietary monitoring methodology utilizing Sistemic's microRNA marker detection capability to enable consistent growth of stem cells in Merck Millipore's Mobius CellReady platform. These markers could also be incorporated into a commercially-available kit for quality control of stem cells in culture.

"To advance the progress of stem cell products toward clinical use, it is critical to ensure the consistency and quality of large-scale culture systems," said Dr Robert Shaw, commercial director, stem cell initiative, Merck Milliopore. "We are excited to be partnering with Sistemic, as the company's leading microRNA-based solutions will help us continue our efforts toward the commercialization of stem cell processing."

"We are delighted to enter this collaborative arrangement with Merck Millipore," commented Sistemic chairman and CEO, Mr Jim Reid. "The fact that Merck Millipore has chosen Sistemic as its collaborative partner is yet another validation of our ground-breaking research and ability to develop systems for quality control of stem cells, and other mutually beneficial products and programs."