Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are key tools for early drug development and disease modelling. IPSCs are mature adult cells that have been reprogrammed to make them ‘pluripotent’, i.e. able to differentiate into any type of cell found in the human body.
EBiSC2 aims to become a self-sustaining biobank, providing well-characterised, quality controlled iPSCs to the academic and industrial scientific communities worldwide. Building on the work of previous projects, including IMI’s EBiSC, EBiSC2 will provide access to a broad catalogue of iPSCs from diverse disease and genetic backgrounds along with comprehensive datasets. They will also offer the bulk production of iPSCs and the delivery of pre-differentiated cell populations. By supporting future iPSC-based disease research, EBiSC2 will contribute to the discovery and development of new drugs.