Monash researchers start company to reprogram human cells
In what is likely to revolutionise the ability of doctors to turn cells from a patient into tissues and organs needed to treat disease, a technology called Mogrify, co-developed at Monash University, provides the template to turn cells into a heart, kidney or pancreas. The research was carried out at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and Riken in Japan. A landmark Nature Genetics paper published in January 2016 outlined the program that effectively provides researchers with the “recipe” for turning human cells into any desired cell from a tissue to organs.
Researchers at Monash University led by Associate Professor Jose Polo together with the University of Bristol have created a spin-off biotech company, Mogrify. Funding from a UK angel investment group, will allow Mogrify to provide and test the blueprints for turning cells into specific cells needed in the pharmaceutical industry for drug and toxicity testing, as well as clinical settings.