Perth-based neurology research company NeuroDiscovery Ltd subsidiary NeuroSolutions Ltd will provide biopharmaceutical companies with native human neurones under a collaborative agreement with UK-based Stem Cell Sciences plc.
NeuroSolutions will provide its expertise in electrophysiology to functionally validate and characterise the electrical properties of neurones derived from SCS' Neural Stem cells, which SCS will make available to NeuroSolutions for the purposes of the collaboration.
Under the collaboration, the stem cell derivation, cell growth and differentiation skills of SCS will be combined with NeuroDiscovery's specialised electrophysiology techniques. The companies will combine their automated cell production and high-throughput patch-clamping equipment to produce functionally validated cells suited for industry's current drug discovery needs. Any new intellectual property generated pursuant to the collaboration will be owned jointly (50:50) by both companies.
NeuroDiscovery chairman Mark Treherne said the collaboration would enable NeuroSolutions to provide better services to their customers and would open up further opportunities for expansion.
WA Business News reported on June 20 that NeuroSolutions had entered into a development contract with a multinational pharmaceutical company for $200,000, but a company spokeswoman confirmed that this was a different deal.
NeuroSolutions also recently signed an agreement with Japanese biopharmaceutical company Sosei Co. Ltd to commercially develop a neuropathic pain compound.
