MicroStem Information

MicroStem, Inc. is a platform company providing novel tools for disease research, therapy and drug development. By leveraging expertise in stem cell biology and a proprietary technology platform, MicroStem is developing biological and chemical cell culture systems for the growth, expansion, and differentiation of human stem cells. MicroStem’s solutions will enable its partners in the bio-medical industry to enhance their development of novel drugs and therapies for cancer and degenerative diseases. MicroStem’s expertise lies within three areas of stem cell research: - Elucidating conditions for the growth and differentiation of human embryonic and adult stem cells. - Identifying conditions for the derivation and growth of cancer stem cell lines from tumor biopsies. - Generating cell lines that recapitulate diseases in vitro. MicroStem’s proprietary technology: MicroStem’s proprietary core technology is an array platform that creates thousands of microscopic in vitro environments potentially mimicking events as they naturally occur in vivo. Each environment is comprised of combinations of natural and synthetic components. Stem cells are seeded onto these in vitro environments and monitored for functional responses such as cell attachment, proliferation, differentiation and gene expression. MicroStem’s platform has several advantages over alternative technologies. The technology is a micro-scale, high-throughput platform allowing for identification of the most complex conditions for stem cell growth and differentiation in a combinatorial, time- and cost-effective manner. In addition, MicroStem’s technology is suitable for working with limited numbers of cells, a feature especially critical for the development of growth and differentiation conditions for primary and rare stem cell types.