Sweet smell of success as Axol Bioscience buys French Riviera business

Axol is a leading induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provider for drug discovery; Phenocell SAS is a pioneer in iPSC-based products and bioassays for skin and retinal disorders. It is based in Grasse – known as the world’s perfume capital – and located on the French Riviera.

The acquisition extends Axol’s portfolio of iPSC-derived cell models, adding skin and human retinal iPSC-derived cell lines to its existing neuroscience, pain and touch, and cardiovascular products and services.

Phenocell’s offering includes market-leading human iPSC-derived sebocytes and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor cells. The company also provides custom, skin and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) services to support drug discovery companies.

Liam Taylor, CEO, Axol Bioscience, said: “Axol has previously operated in three areas of drug research and discovery: neuroscience, pain and touch, and cardiovascular drug discovery.

“This acquisition enables us to extend our product portfolio into ophthalmology and dermatology and offer iPSC-based skin and vision loss models.

“We are delighted to welcome Phenocell to the Axol Bioscience family and look forward to building an even wider range of advanced in vitro models of human disease, combining our shared values and passion to accelerate drug discovery.”

Brigitte Onteniente, CEO and founder of Phenocell, added: “We have built a unique set of products and services over the last decade to meet the growing requirements from the drug discovery and cosmetic industries to move from primary models to more consistent, human iPSC-derived models.

“As part of Axol Bioscience we look forward to working with Liam and the team to develop a larger range of models, to serve a wider market.”