The National Institutes of Health Center for Regenerative Medicine (NIH CRM) has awarded Lonza Walkersville a contract to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for research purposes.

This is the second contract the NIH has awarded Lonza for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In October 2012, the NIH CRM awarded Lonza Walkersville a contract to generate clinical grade induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).

"A few years ago, Lonza established its Pluripotent Stem Cell Innovation Center. The center has two mandates," said Stephan Kutzer, COO Lonza Pharma-Biotech. "First, the group was tasked with developing technologies to help the field move pluripotent stem cell derived therapies to the clinic. Second, it was tasked with providing a comprehensive service offering to support both basic and clinical PSC research. This latest NIH contract validates Lonza's investments in this key strategic area."

The contract awarded to Lonza is deemed an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award which is a type of United States Government contract that provides an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed amount of time. For IDIQs, although nothing is guaranteed, minimum and maximum quantity limits are specified in the basic contract as either number of units (for supplies) or as dollar values (for services). The Lonza contract is a three year agreement with a value up to $6.9 million dollars.