Thursday, June 20, 2024
Bit.bio, a pioneering company in synthetic biology focused on coding human cells for novel therapies, has unveiled ioAstrocytes as its latest addition to the ioCells portfolio. This new offering aims to revolutionize disease research by addressing challenges related to data reproducibility and accelerating therapeutic development.
ioCells are iPSC-derived cells tailored for research and drug discovery, created using bit.bio’s deterministic programming technology called opti-ox. Known for their superior functionality, consistency, and scalability, the ioCells portfolio now boasts 37 products, including ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, and ioCRISPR-Ready Cells, with 18 new launches in 2024 alone.
Astrocytes are a type of glial cell crucial in the brain, involved in various processes such as neural signaling, maintaining homeostasis, and regulating immune responses. Despite being often underestimated, astrocytes play a significant role in CNS conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, pain disorders, and neuropsychiatric conditions. With ioAstrocytes, researchers gain access to well-defined, consistent, and functional human astrocytes optimized for co-culture with other CNS cell types.
"We are excited to expand our ioCells portfolio with ioAstrocytes, offering researchers worldwide access to key human brain cell types," said Mark Kotter, Founder and CEO of bit.bio. "Similar to building blocks, scientists can combine different CNS cell types, with or without disease-specific mutations, to investigate their interactions. We look forward to how the neuroscience community will leverage this toolkit to deepen our understanding of the CNS and develop much-needed therapies for neurological conditions."
ioAstrocytes are characterized by their precise definition, consistency, and functional capabilities, including stellate morphology, expression of key markers, and essential astrocyte functions such as phagocytosis, cytokine secretion, and modulation of neuronal activity in CNS co-cultures.
“ioAstrocytes represent a significant enhancement to bit.bio's expanding ioCells portfolio, enabling researchers to advance in vitro CNS models and accelerate discoveries,” said Farah Patell-Socha, Vice President of Research Products at bit.bio. "By providing highly consistent cells with essential functional properties of human astrocytes, we are unlocking novel pathways for advancing neuroinflammation research, conducting comprehensive neural network studies, and performing screening and toxicity assessments for potential therapeutics."
Source: businesswire.com
