Corning Incorporated Introduces New
Synthemax™ Synthetic Surface to Enhance and
Support Stem Cell Growth
Revolutionary Surface Demonstrates Continued Commitment to Delivering Products that Enable
Advanced Drug Discovery Research
March 03, 2010 04:33 PM Eastern Time
CORNING, N.Y.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) today introduced the
Corning® Synthemax™ surface, a novel synthetic surface that supports the growth and differentiation of stem cells.
The surface is being commercialized as a result of Corning’s ongoing collaboration with Geron Corporation
(NASDAQ:GERN). This development enables researchers to take the next step toward scalable and cost-effective
manufacturing of stem cells for potential therapies in the treatment of degenerative diseases.
Data presented by Corning and Geron at the World Stem Cell Summit in Baltimore in September 2009
demonstrated multi-passage growth of multiple undifferentiated human stem cell lines and the subsequent
differentiation of one of these cell lines into cardiomyocytes. This is the first time the differentiation has been
demonstrated with the results presented on a synthetic surface. The growth and differentiation of stem cells on the
Synthemax surface is robust and reproducible, an important condition for the large-scale production of cells and
therapeutic development.
“The commercialization of the Synthemax surface is a clear proof point of the success of our collaboration with
Geron,” said Dr. Jeff Mooney, director of commercial technology for Corning Life Sciences. “By leveraging our
unique expertise in materials and surfaces, as well as Geron’s advanced therapeutic stem cell techniques, we have
been able to develop what we believe is the first and only synthetic surface in the world to enable this level of stem
cell growth and differentiation.”
The Corning Synthemax surface allows for the scalable expansion of stem cells for more than 20 serial passages in a
defined xeno-free medium with:
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