Cellular Dynamics International Inc. shaked hands with Roche in a partnership deal worth of $83 million in revenue for the Madison biotech firm. Cellular Dynamics said that it will supply its induced pluripotent stem cell-derived iCell products to Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche under this partnership .
After the supply and licensing agreement is signed Roche will get exclusive access to specific iCell products to help identify novel drug candidates in the early stages of drug discovery. 
"Our partnerships with established leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, now including Roche, demonstrate that CDI products are increasingly becoming important tools for efficient drug discovery. This agreement is the largest single collaboration for CDI to date," Cellular Dynamics' chairman and CEO Kaz Hiraosaid in a press release. "We look forward to a productive working relationship with Roche that will show how (induced pluripotent stem cell)-derived cells can help generate a large number of early product candidates."
The potential revenue total is dependent on the achievement of certain development milestones.
James Thomson, researcher from University of Wisconsin founded Cellular Dynamics. He developed a process of reprogramming adult tissue cells into a stem cell-like state, sidestepping the controversy over the use of human embryos in stem cell research. The so-called induced pluripotent stem cells are then differentiated into other types of cells. Cellular Dynamics' iCell product line includes human brain, heart, liver, blood and blood vessel cells.
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