bit.bio product launch: ioSkeletal Myocytes; the first supply of consistent, scalable, human muscle cells provide transformative new models for research and drug discovery

bit.bio product launch: ioSkeletal Myocytes; the first supply of consistent, scalable, human muscle cells provide transformative new models for research and drug discovery

Highly consistent and scalable supply of lab grown human skeletal muscle cells provide an effective and biologically relevant tool for research and drug development in conditions as diverse as metabolic and muscle diseases and ageing.

CAMBRIDGE, UK, Friday 15 October — Cell coding company bit.bio has today launched a new product, ioSkeletal Myocytes. It’s the first product of its kind that provides physiologically relevant human skeletal muscle cells that are reliable, reproducible and consistent at scale. Access to ioSkeletal Myocytes will supercharge research and drug discovery for musculoskeletal and metabolic conditions.

ioSkeletal Myocytes can be used within days after thawing, affording scientists unprecedented ease and consistency for their experiments. ioSkeletal Myocytes are created through direct reprogramming of human iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) using bit.bio’s breakthrough cell coding technology opti-ox™. They are the second ‘off the shelf’ cell type product from bit.bio and form part of the expanding ioCells portfolio.

Dr Mark Kotter, CEO bit.bio, said:

“This second product is another validation of bit.bio’s approach to biology as the next disruptive technology. When you give scientists access to reliable human cells the only limit to the questions they can ask and the experiments they can design is their imagination. And we are already seeing that imagination unleashed in the diverse ways our partners are using our cells. Each ioCell will open up a whole new product line in the form of disease models, providing even greater research opportunities. Building out our ioCell portfolio is a core pillar of bit.bio’s strategy, next to developing bit.bio’s cells for therapeutic applications. Together, this will enable the next generation of medicines.”

ioSkeletal Myocytes have been validated by bit.bio’s partners in different applications, a key stage in the development of the product. One partner, Charles River Laboratories, a provider of products and services that help expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of novel drugs and therapeutics, has adopted bit.bio’s ioSkeletal Myocytes into its discovery offering, including high-throughput screening (HTS) workflows.

Dr Marijn Vlaming, Head of Biology - Leiden & Beerse at Charles River Laboratories, said:

“Previously, acquiring skeletal myocytes for research has either been from animal models, which do not always behave like human muscle cells, or by using primary human cells with methods that produce only small cell quantities. We have seen first-hand that ioSkeletal Myocytes eliminate this cumbersome, time-consuming process, and quickly provide reliable and consistent access to large quantities of human myocytes, which can be used for high-throughput screening.”

The product provides functional and consistent human cells which can be used to study the physiology of human skeletal muscle cells and their response to potential drug candidates.

bit.bio’s human ioSkeletal Myocytes will increase translatability of research findings so can play a significant role in reducing the average cost and time spent on drug development and increase the chances of new treatments making it through the clinic and to patients.

ioSkeletal Myocytes are launching ahead of a bit.bio workshop at The European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group (ELRIG) drug discovery conference  where speakers Dr Luckshman Jeremy Anton (Charles River Laboratories), Prof Michael Duchen (University College London) and Prof Hagan Bayley (University of Oxford) will discuss the challenges of cell models and novel approaches and tools for basic research and drug discovery that include bit.bio’s cells. They are available through bit.bio and affiliated distributions to the greater academic and biotech communities.