LabCorp will provide industry-leading scientific resources in personalized diagnostics and genomic testing to support the capacity of ORIG3N’s LifeCapsule™ cell repository

BOSTON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — ORIG3N, Inc., a pioneer in regenerative medicine and provider of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) storage, called LifeCapsule (www.capsule.life), today announced a strategic collaboration with Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp®) (LH). LabCorp has invested in ORIG3N, and will provide storage for LifeCapsule at its biorepository facilities as well as perform genetic testing on the stored cells. LabCorp’s expertise will help to accelerate the development of LifeCapsule’s specimen repository.

LifeCapsule’s repository is utilized to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells can be differentiated to every other cell type in the human body, which aids in more accurate disease modeling and drug efficacy testing. The repository will enable access to a large, genetically diverse population of iPSCs for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, supporting development of treatments for a variety of diseases. The strategic partnership between ORIG3N and LabCorp will increase the utility of LifeCapsule and establish a well characterized library of specimens.

“Having access to LabCorp’s technical operations, logistics expertise, and testing platforms is valuable,” said Robin Y. Smith, CEO and co-founder at ORIG3N. “LifeCapsule is rapidly growing into one of the world’s largest cell repositories, and we have collected thousands of samples to date.”

“The collaboration with ORIG3N serves our core mission of improving health and improving lives,” said Jon Meltzer, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy at LabCorp.  “As an industry leader in delivering world class diagnostics, bringing innovative new drugs to market, and using data to change the way care is delivered, we are excited to provide new tools to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to enhance our understanding of an individual’s cellular and genomic health.”

LabCorp is the world’s leading healthcare diagnostics company, providing comprehensive clinical laboratory services through LabCorp Diagnostics, and end-to-end drug development support through Covance Drug Development.  With combined revenue proforma for the acquisition of Covance in excess of $8.5 billion in 2014 and more than 48,000 employees in over 60 countries, LabCorp offers innovative solutions to healthcare stakeholders, including physicians, patients and consumers, biopharmaceutical companies, government agencies, managed care organizations, hospitals, and clinical labs.

About ORIG3N, Inc.

Boston-based ORIG3N is a biotechnology company developing breakthrough treatments for rare genetically inherited diseases with targets in heart, liver and neurodegenerative indications. Our mission is to further explore and understand cellular regeneration and to develop transformative applications for human health. The company’s executive team is made up of industry veterans with greater than 20 years each in the life sciences marketplace. For more information, visit:www.orig3n.com.

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