STEMCELL Technologies
Besides, at the time, Eaves was a hematologist and cancer researcher heading the Terry Fox Laboratories (TFL) and head of clinical hematology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Unsatisfied with commercially available cell culture reagents, Eaves’ research group at the TFL began making their own hematopoietic stem cell culture media using the highest quality materials they could find. Colleagues also wanted to use this media, and Eaves was able to supplement his research funds by selling culture media to other lab groups. Eventually the demand for the media from researchers around the world warranted building a designated clean room for production.
Moreover, The TFL did not have the funding and instead, Eaves was encouraged to purchase the business and create an independent company. Mortgaging his house and receiving a loan from Western Economic Diversification, Eaves was able to build a clean room and STEMCELL Technologies Inc. was born on July 2, 1993. STEMCELL has become the largest biotech company in Canada and continues to reinvest all profits back into developing products to better support the international research community. As of 2017, the company employs more than 1000 people globally, with over one-third of those holding a PhD or MSc, and the majority of employees having a BSc or Engineering degree. A large number of the company’s employees are located in Vancouver, Canada with additional employees and facilities in 11 other countries.
Furthermore, STEMCELL specializes in developing cell culture media, cell separation systems, instruments and other reagents for use in life sciences research across the basic to translational research continuum, to advance the pursuit of scientific knowledge by supplying high quality, innovative reagents, tools and services that enable life science research.
Hence, their products are designed and developed by highly trained, world class scientists to streamline research protocols, reduce experimental variability, and increase the accuracy of results. They develop product lines to support entire experimental workflows, from cell isolation through characterization, expansion, differentiation, maintenance and storage, and are always looking for ways to further support our customers through training, knowledge and new products.
STEMCELL’s Research and Development team often collaborates with academic partners to develop, produce and distribute products specific to a given research field. In addition to expanding our original line of hematology products, they have grown their product portfolio to include a comprehensive suite of immune cell isolation tools as well as products that support research using pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. They have also developed suites of products optimized for neural, mammary, prostate, pulmonary, pancreatic, and intestinal cell biology research.
Additionally, STEMCELL’s Contract Assay Services department supports researchers by developing tailor-made in vitro assays customized for their research needs. Finally, by offering accessory components such as primary cells, antibodies and cytokines, as well as labware and instruments via our Bioengineering division, STEMCELL provides scientists with all of the tools necessary to carry out their research. They know that effective training, communication, and collaboration is essential for science to happen. As a company, STEMCELL is deeply rooted in the scientific community and science education, and these values drive an ongoing effort to provide scientists with the resources that they need to keep current with the latest scientific advances and innovations in their fields. For example, their education team provides hands-on training courses and workshops as well as proficiency testing for assay standardization and custom on-site education courses. They also produce professional quality videos that provide product support and education, as well as host webinars with field experts and offer free wallcharts, technical bulletins, blogs, newsletters, and other communication resources to support the exchange of scientific knowledge and keep researchers informed about tools, tips ,and technologies in their fields.