Cellular Dynamics Licenses Key Patent Portfolio Surrounding Cardiovascular Progenitor Cells

Exclusive License Covers Differentiation of Stem Cells into All Cell Types of the Human Heart

MADISON, Wis., May 27, 2009– Further broadening its leading IP position, Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) today announced that it has exclusively licensed a key patent portfolio generated by Gordon Keller, Ph.D., previously from Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM), surrounding the differentiation of stem cells into human cardiovascular progenitor cells. These cells are capable of further differentiation into the multiple cell types of the heart, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, both in vitro and in vivo.

“The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is pleased that CDI has selected MSSM’s technology for the production and use of cardiomyocytes and other cardiac cells,” said W. Patrick McGrath, Ph.D., Executive Director of MSSM’s Office of Technology and Business Development (OTBD).   “OTBD believes that CDI is well qualified to take the final steps to commercially develop MSSM’s translational research into products and services that will benefit the drug development process and, ultimately, cardiac patients worldwide.”

Commenting on the company’s broadening patent portfolio, Chris Kendrick-Parker, CDI Chief Commercialization Officer, said, “We believe that CDI’s pluripotent stem cell technology will be the pharmaceutical industry’s platform of choice for identifying drug candidates and their probability of success in predictive toxicology. This exclusive license provides CDI complete freedom to operate in our quest to efficiently and effectively produce and provide cardiomyocytes, and other cardiac cells, for screening purposes. Furthermore, this license strengthens our growing patent portfolio and makes us a preferred collaborator and provider to pharma and biotech companies developing predictive toxicology tools to aid the industry.”

About Cellular Dynamics International, Inc.

Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI) is a leading developer of next-generation tools and services for drug discovery, screening, and predictive toxicology. CDI harnesses the power of pluripotent stem cells and their ability to differentiate into any cell type for world-class drug development, including a regulatory-approved service facility. CDI was founded in 2004 by Dr. James Thomson, a pioneer in human embryonic stem cells from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CDI’s facilities are located in Madison, Wisconsin.