iPierian To Collaborate With Johns Hopkins University On $3.7m NIH Grant

iPierian has been selected to participate in a $3.7m National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grand Opportunities (GO) grant, awarded to The Johns Hopkins University.

Reportedly, the two year grant is expected to be used to generate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) iPS cells and to evaluate the ability of these cells to reflect human cell biology and the characteristics of native motor neurons and astrocytes, the cell types involved in ALS.

The grant was awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the NIH.

John Walker, CEO of iPierian, said: “iPS cell technology allows scientists to study conditions such as ALS in disease-specific human models for the first time. This research project is an exciting opportunity for Johns Hopkins and iPierian. It will provide valuable information on the cell type specificity and functional biology of ALS iPS cells, which will ultimately help us develop more effective targeted therapies for patients.”