ArunA to Develop Stem Cell Based Chemical Screening Kits That Mimic the Human Brain in a Dish

    ATHENS, GA, December 03, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Gina McCarthy, announced that ArunA Biomedical is among nine small businesses identified to share nearly $3 million in research funding to help the EPA bring green technology initiatives to the marketplace. The research is funded via a two phase Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.

During the award period, ArunA will expand commercial production capacity of human pluripotent stem cell derived neurons and astrocytes successfully developed through Phase I support. The multi-cell based technology is being used to create validated environmental toxin screening kits designed to address the need for rapid, cost effective early identification of potentially harmful toxins.

"ArunA's novel human stem cell based systems recapitulate the human brain condition and could potentially reduce animal model use with translatable human high throughput screening in a dish. The use of these multi-cell screening systems could profoundly change our understanding of how chemicals affect the human brain," said ArunA Biomedical CSO, Steven Stice.

ArunA Biomedical is a privately held life science tools company developing and commercializing human pluripotent stem cell research products and services for use in drug discovery, cell based toxicity analysis for the environment, agri-chemical and pharmaceutical industries and basic disease research.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company's potential impact on scientific research, patient therapies and collaborations with third parties. Certain conditions could alter the outcome or progress of these statements including but not limited to unexpected manufacturing issues, product performance and quality control/assurance issues. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions, beliefs and expectations of the company or individuals quoted in the press release and the company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements if circumstances change.

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