BELTSVILLE, MD and PHILADELPHIA (April 17, 2018) – REPROCELL USA, a subsidiary of Japan’s REPROCELL, Inc., and Fox Chase, Ltd., a member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center family of organizations, have formed a joint venture to operate a multi-site bio-sample repository facility in India. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in the office of Richard I. Fisher, MD, president and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center, on April 10.
“The research community’s demand for access to clinical-grade bio-specimens in India has gone largely unmet. Through our partnership with Fox, we plan to change that,” said Dr. Chikafumi Yokoyama, CEO of REPROCELL. “We will grow an inventory of bio-samples in India using the same rigorous quality-assurance standards we employ at our facilities in the US, including the collection and storage of all associated annotated clinical and genetic information and bioinformatics data analytics.”
Initial operations are underway in Delhi with plans to expand to Hyderabad later this year. The facilities will add approximately 3,000 new bio-samples monthly. Collected specimens will be supported by annotations that include medical history, mutation data and detailed records of treatment protocols as well as outcomes.
As a leading provider of biomaterials, REPROCELL is deeply engaged with cancer and other disease research being conducted by pharma, biotech, and leading academic research institutions worldwide.
“We look forward to a long and successful alliance with REPROCELL,” Fisher said. “Collaborations like this are an important way to advance successful cancer research around the world.”