Building on research conducted in the laboratory of UW-Madison, Stem Pharm is developing biomaterials capable of supporting stem cells as they grow. Stem cells are of interest in part due to their versatility; they can be turned into specific cell types and can be programmed to perform functions like regrowing tissue. These capabilities can faciltitate drug makers to evaluate new therapies they're developing or can be used by groups in the regenerative medicine field to manufacture human tissues, among other applications. The technologies being developed by Stem Pharm can be used to expand iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells, and to enhance differentiation of iPSCs--turning them into the types of cells needed in the development of particular therapeutics and aiding in the delivery of these cells. Stem Pharm organoids can be used to unravel disease complexity, assess functionality, discover and validate new targets, perform phenotypic screens, and evaluate toxicity.
