EBiSC2

EBiSC2 – A sustainable European bank for induced pluripotent stem cells
EBISC2 logo

FACTS & FIGURES

Start Date
End Date
Call
IMI2 - Call 13
Grant agreement number
821362

Type of Action: 
RIA (Research and Innovation Action)

Contributions
IMI Funding
4 599 648
EFPIA in kind
4 399 964
Other
1
Total Cost
8 999 613

Summary

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.

Achievements & News

A one-stop-shop for disease-specific human stem cells allows scientists to focus on research
June 2021

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be generated from tissues of people diagnosed with certain diseases, as well as healthy people, and then used to generate specific cell-types, which can then be used by researchers to carry out experiments.

Making iPSC lines from scratch is laborious and complicated, and re-using existing cell lines is also fraught with challenges. To help fix these problems, in 2014 IMI set up EBiSC, the European Bank for induced pluripotent Stem Cells. A subsequent project, EBiSC2, builds on EBiSC’s work.###

EBiSC allows researchers to deposit their cell lines into a centralised repository, and enables distribution to the wider scientific community via a public catalogue, along with their relevant datasets. In addition, EBiSC can also help with reprogramming, gene-editing and characterising new iPSC lines and sharing knowledge and best practices. Depositors retain full ownership rights on their lines and can continue using and sharing them as they choose. Customers can quickly access iPSC lines from the desired donor background, selecting for age, sex, disease or phenotype, among other things.

As the lines are listed on a public catalogue, the impact of their research is highly visible and publications and datasets are clearly linked to the relevant cell lines. The project is currently aware of more than 100 publications using EBiSC iPSC lines, with likely many more available and in progress.

Find out more

Working on iPSCs? EBiSC2 wants your opinion
September 2019

IMI’s EBiSC project has established a centralised, not-for-profit human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) bank providing researchers across academia and industry with access to scalable, cost-efficient and consistent, high quality iPSCs for use in research and medicines development.### Since its creation in 2014, the bank has grown considerably and now provides a large range of iPSC lines and services to academics, non-profit organisations and companies. Projects generating iPSCs can also make their cell lines sustainable by depositing them in the EBiSC catalogue, ensuring secure long-term storage and simplified access and distribution.

The new EBiSC2 project builds on the achievements of the original EBiSC project, including improving its services and providing new iPSC lines and differentiated cell products. To ensure the project continues to offer products and services that are relevant to the scientific community, EBiSC is running a survey. The survey is open until the end of October.

Participants Show participants on map

EFPIA companies
  • Bayer Aktiengesellschaft, Leverkusen, Germany
  • Eli Lilly And Company LTD, Basingstoke, United Kingdom
  • Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics Inc, Madison, United States
  • H. Lundbeck As, Valby, Denmark
  • Institut De Recherches Servier, Suresnes, France
  • Janssen Pharmaceutica Nv, Beerse, Belgium
  • Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
  • Pfizer Limited, Sandwich, Kent , United Kingdom
  • Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG, Glattpark-Opfikon (Zurich), Switzerland
  • UCB Biopharma, Brussels, Belgium
Universities, research organisations, public bodies, non-profit groups
  • Bioneer A/S, Horsholm, Denmark
  • Department of Health, Leeds, United Kingdom
  • Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Forderung Der Angewandten Forschung Ev, München, Germany
  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies (<€500 m turnover)
  • Arttic, Paris, France
  • Arttic Innovation GMBH, Munchen, Germany
Third parties
  • Fraunhofer Uk Research Limited, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Project coordinator
Heiko Zimmermann
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Forderung Der Angewandten Forschung Ev