6 October 2015 - - US-based Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a specialist in the development of specialised cells for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical drug discovery, plans to form a commercial business for the banking of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by private individuals, the company said on Tuesday. Allele has named Drs. Mahendra Rao and Joseph Paulauskis as the first members of its scientific advisory board for iPSC banking and cGMP production. Rao is a scientist in the fields of stem cells and medicine, having served as the VP of regenerative medicine at Invitrogen, founding director of the NIH Center for Regenerative Medicine, chair of the Biological Response Modifiers Committee (BRMAC, now CTAGT) of the FDA, and he is currently chief strategy officer at Q Therapeutics. Paulauskis is the chief operating officer of Paradigm Dx as well as the vice-president of research and biobanking for the International Genomics Consortium, and has previously held senior positions in pharmacogenomics at Pfizer. Allele said it plans to make additional appointments to the SAB as individuals with world-class experience and expertise are identified. Human iPSCs are cells that can be grown to virtually infinite numbers and can become any cell in the human body, features which hold great promise for therapies that can alleviate or cure human disease. Allele said its business model recognises that an individual can have their own cells ready for future therapeutic use via the generation and storage of iPSCs from that individual's skin cells. While this is similar to what is done with newborn cord blood, iPSCs can be generated from humans of any age. The banking of human iPSCs for potential future therapeutic use is a relatively new industry with unprecedented potential, and Allele is benefitting from expert opinions internally and from current and future SAB members, ensuring a solid scientific and ethical foundation for this business. In addition to serving its customers, Allele's iPSC bank will be an unparalleled resource for biomedical research. Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals explores the mechanisms of biological processes to develop technologies and products for biomedical researchers.