Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
agreement, established in 2009, was originally to last two years and
focused on the development of iPSC cardiomyocytes for use in the
pharmaceutical context (CDI Press Release,
http://www.
cellulardynamics.com
, 22 March 2011). The aim of the programme
was to evaluate the usefulness of cardiomyocytes for predictive
testing of arrythmias in drug development regimes (CDI Press
Release,
http://www.cellulardynamics.com
, 22 March 2011). Cellular
Dynamics International reports that the programme of study has
finished early, and the agreement has shifted to one where they will
supply cardiomyocytes to Roche (CDI Press Release,
http://www.
cellulardynamics.com
, 22 March 2011). This is a significant
achievement within the context of iPSC research and demonstrates
the potential outcomes of strategic partnering.
As a business model then, collaborative development agreements
can have a number of benefits for small companies. The examples
discussed above show that collaboration can take a number of
different forms:
•
collaboration with other small companies to produce a
strengthened competitive position;
collaboration with much larger companies to gain access to
marketing and managerial development;
collaboration with large pharmaceutical companies for product
development and exploring new applications of proprietary
technology; and also
a straightforward supply-chain agreement in exchange for
financial support for research and development.
•
•
•
There is some evidence to suggest that developing strategic alliances
early on in a company's lifecycle can lead to significant advantages
in the product development phase (Deeds and Hill, 1996).
6.2.6 Outpatientclinics
Another possibility for the future of iPSC-based therapeutic delivery
will be in outpatient clinics attended by individuals on a needs basis.
