Human tissue culture systems developed by Stemcell were used by researchers at China's Centre for Disease Control to grow lung airway cells that could successfully propagate the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Scientists were then able to isolate the virus, obtain the viral gene sequence, and quickly make the data available to researchers globally.
This viral gene sequence is essential for increasing our understanding of the virus, accelerating vaccine development.
Stemcell is now supporting this groundbreaking research by providing COVID-19 researchers in China with complimentary cell culture media and ongoing technical support from in-house scientists.
In the coming weeks, Stemcell's products will play a critical role in enabling researchers to develop treatments for COVID-19.
Stemcell is committed to developing additional advanced cell culture systems for modeling various lung cell types, which will provide a deeper understanding of the infection method of respiratory viruses.
These human cell culture systems will provide access to fundamental information in virology, both accelerating the discovery of effective treatments and vaccines, as well as enhancing the ability to be prepared with rapid-response systems in the case of future outbreaks.
Stemcell Technologies is Canada's largest biotechnology company, with over 1,500 employees and year-on-year growth of approximately 20% for the last 26 years.
Based in Vancouver, it supports life sciences research globally with more than 2,500 specialized reagents, tools, and services.
Stemcell offers high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, and educational resources that are used by scientists performing stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, microbiology and cellular therapy research globally.
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