Organovo Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONVO) (“Organovo”), a biotechnology company pioneering the development of 3D bioprinted tissues aimed at treating a range of serious diseases, today announced a collaboration with Professor Melissa Little at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (“MCRI”), The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia and Ton Rabelink at Universiteit Leiden (“LUMC”), Leiden, Netherlands. The project will expand the use of 3D bioprinted stem cell-based therapeutic tissues to applications aimed at treating end-stage renal disease.  This multi-organizational effort integrates Organovo’s leading bioprinting platform with MCRI’s advanced stem cell differentiation technology and LUMC’s cell lines and clinical expertise.  The collaboration has been made possible through generous funding from Stem Cells Australia and CSL Limited.

“Partnerships with world-class institutions can accelerate groundbreaking work in finding cures for critical unmet disease needs and the development of implantable therapeutic tissues,” said Taylor J. Crouch, CEO, Organovo.  “This collaboration is another important step in this direction.  With the devoted support of Stem Cells Australia and CSL Limited, leading researchers are able to leverage Organovo’s powerful bioprinting technology platform to achieve significant breakthroughs.”

“We have continued to advance and refine our proprietary approach for modeling human kidney tissue from stem cells,” remarked Professor Melissa Little, Theme Director of Cell Biology at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.  “By using Organovo’s bioprinter, we can create a stem-cell based therapeutic tissue that may serve as an important step in treating kidney disease.  We are grateful to Organovo, Stem Cells Australia and CSL Limited for their ongoing support of our work in regenerative medicine.”

“The collaboration between Organovo and Professor Little is an outstanding example of the translational partnerships fostered by the Stem Cells Australia MRFF accelerated research program,” stated Professor Christine Wells, deputy program lead, Stem Cells Australia.  “The goals of the program are to link experts in bioengineering, stem cell biology and clinical research to address therapeutic gaps in areas of critical unmet need.”