Harnessing Combined Expertise: STEMCELL Technologies and Axion BioSystems Partner to Streamline Culture and Analysis of Excitable Cells

ATLANTA & VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Axion BioSystems and STEMCELL Technologies are pleased to announce a strategic partnership that will enable STEMCELL to sell Axion’s state-of-the-art Maestro Pro™ and Maestro Edge™ multielectrode array (MEA) systems within North America and Europe. The industry-leading Maestro MEA systems will also continue to be available for purchase worldwide directly from Axion BioSystems. Through this partnership, Axion and STEMCELL will enable scientists to examine the complex interactions between electrical cells in vitro, driving mechanistic disease research and propelling therapeutic development in neural and cardiac fields.

Conventional electrophysiology methods, such as patch clamp, have been instrumental in establishing our understanding of cell processes and disease mechanisms in electrically active cells. However, they can be tedious and complex, requiring extensive training to collect recordings from single cells at low throughput. Maestro MEA technology makes quality electrophysiological data accessible, reducing the technical barriers and throughput limitations by measuring from a grid of microelectrodes embedded in multiwell plates. Dynamic activity patterns can be measured noninvasively across an entire population of cells, enabling researchers to record real-time responses to experimental stimuli and assess changes in cell network function over time. Versatile and user-friendly, the Maestro Pro and Edge systems make it easy to adopt advanced MEA technology, empowering researchers to address impactful experimental questions with functional data while accelerating the pace of their research.

To ensure researchers are poised for success in their MEA endeavors, STEMCELL offers a complete workflow of high-quality cells, media, reagents, and supplies to support functionally active cultures. By using Maestro MEA systems in combination with reliable, ethically sourced iPSCs or differentiated cells, BrainPhys™ Neuronal Medium, and STEMdiff™ kits (e.g., neural or cardiomyocyte), scientists can quickly achieve highly active cultures with simple, straightforward protocols, ensuring reproducible experimental results.

“As Scientists Helping Scientists, STEMCELL strives to provide researchers with innovative tools that enable the pursuit of new lines of questioning, facilitating scientific breakthroughs—this collaboration does just that,” said Dr. Allen Eaves, CEO and President of STEMCELL Technologies. “Axion shares our passion, and together, our companies are uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive cell culture and functional analysis solutions to enable discoveries by scientists working in neural and cardiac research.”

According to Axion BioSystems’ CEO Julien Bradley, the collaboration advances the company’s mission to equip every lab with the power of Maestro MEA. “Since its founding in 2008 by a team of scientists, Axion’s goal has been to make high-quality, easy-to-use MEA tools more accessible. With Maestro MEA technology establishing itself as the new standard for functional analysis, especially in critical areas like mechanistic disease research and therapeutic development, we expect this new agreement with STEMCELL will accelerate groundbreaking discoveries and help improve human health.”

The complete Maestro MEA platform, including neural and cardiac analysis modules, consumables, and instrument service plans, will soon be available through STEMCELL. Check www.stemcell.com for updates on this exciting product launch.

About Axion BioSystems

Axion BioSystems empowers scientists to reach new heights of discovery with user-friendly lab tools that deliver powerful live-cell analysis for disease research and therapeutic discovery. Designed for continuous, noninvasive monitoring of 2D and 3D cell models, Axion’s industry-leading products are widely used in academic, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical labs around the world. Axion BioSystems is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and has offices worldwide.

About STEMCELL Technologies

STEMCELL Technologies supports life sciences research with more than 2,500 specialized reagents, tools, and services. STEMCELL offers high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, educational resources, and contract assay services that are used by scientists performing stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research globally.