HUDSON, NY--(Marketwired - Jul 23, 2014) - Taconic announced today that it has finalized a distribution and licensing agreement with the Central Institute for Experimental Animals (CIEA) and In-Vivo Science International Inc. (IVSI) that grants Taconic exclusive rights to commercialize up to thirty strains of next generation NOG mice models in the United States, Europe and Australia. The agreement also allows Taconic to perform human cell engraftment and other services using next generation NOG models. The first three new models in the NOG Portfolio™ are now available and others will be introduced in 2014-15.
The agreement is an important milestone in Taconic's tissue and cell-based mouse humanization programs. Samuel Phelan, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Taconic, comments on the significance of the new agreement: "Taconic is excited about the expansion of our partnership with CIEA and IVSI to make up to thirty new NOG mouse lines available to biomedical and biopharmaceutical researchers. The addition of new models to our NOG Portfolio represents the next phase in Taconic's mission to develop better, more predictive models for use by scientists worldwide. This agreement allows us to further our cell and tissue-based humanization program, which will result in several new NOG models being made available to the scientific community."
The CIEA NOG mouse® is a super immunodeficient model that was developed and extensively characterized in the laboratory by Dr. Mamoru Ito at CIEA. It is used by researchers involved mainly in immunology, oncology, and infectious disease research. Given its excellent performance in the engraftment of human cells and tissues, the NOG is ideal for human immune system reconstitution. Additional genetic modifications made in the next generation of NOG Portfolio™ mice will lead to enhancements of specific cell lineages and overall improvements in the functionality of the reconstituted human immune system.
Ryuta Nomura, Executive Director of CIEA, believes that the agreement with Taconic will build upon the successes of the CIEA NOG mouse ® . "CIEA is proud to have Taconic as its commercialization partner for the additional NOG lines in Europe, the United States, and Australia. Together we have distributed the super immunodeficient CIEA NOG mouse ® to investigators worldwide who are involved in vital research. Now we will do the same with Dr. Ito's improved models through our agreement with Taconic."
Through internal research efforts as well as collaborations with scientists worldwide, CIEA and Taconic anticipate that the next generation NOG models will be recognized as key research tools that are better able to mimic human biology following the engraftment of human cells and tissues, thereby providing greater predictability of the human response to treatment.
Among the newly released models are the TK-NOG for reconstitution of the human liver and immune system, the hGM-CSF/hIL-3Tg for enhanced engraftment of myeloid cell lineages, and the beta2m Knockout NOG for delayed onset of GvHD following PBMC engraftment. More information about particular NOG models that will be released is available by contacting Taconic: USA +1 888-822-6642 | Europe: +45 70 23 04 05.
About Taconic
Taconic is a global provider of genetically engineered mouse and rat models and services. As a full-service industry leader, founded in 1952, Taconic helps clients acquire, custom generate, breed, test, prepare, and distribute highly relevant research lines worldwide. Headquartered in New York's Hudson River Valley, Taconic operates breeding facilities and service laboratories in the U.S. and Europe. The company employs over 850 employees committed to technological innovation. Taconic's products and services are used by over 1,300 companies and academic research institutions in nearly 50 nations worldwide. For further information, please visit http://www.taconic.com/nog-portfolio
About CIEA
The Central Institute for Experimental Animals (CIEA) was established in 1952 by Dr. Tatsuji Nomura. Today, the CIEA contributes to the health and welfare of humankind through development of validated humanized animals with stable, reproducible phenotypes. The CIEA also contributes to the research of human diseases and clarification of their causes through the use of laboratory animals as in vivo standards of measurement. The CIEA pursues to create various innovative industrial foundation skills that contribute to the competitive power of Japan. Specifically, the CIEA will actively support the incubation of various venture businesses with advanced know-how but insufficient capital. At the same time, the CIEA will also reinforce its exchange of research resources and information with various international corporations and research institutes. For more information go to: http://www.ciea.or.jp/en
About IVSI
IVSI is an independent business promotion company for in vivo studies. IVSI was granted the exclusive license from CIEA to produce and distribute NOG mice, and next generation NOG mice.
