Cynata was formed in October 2011 by two of the inventors of the Cymerus technology (Professor Igor Slukvin and Dr Maksym (Maxim) Vodyanik), in collaboration with Australian technology entrepreneur, Dr Ian Dixon.
Core patents underpinning Cynata’s Cymerus technology are owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which has automatic rights to all intellectual property arising from University of Wisconsin – Madison (UWM). Cynata has been granted an exclusive worldwide license to the relevant patents. Additionally, Cynata has been granted a license to a broad portfolio of patents held by Cellular Dynamics International, now a Fujifilm company. Cynata has also filed patent applications on its own behalf on inventions it has made in developing the Cymerus technology.
In November 2013, Cynata was acquired by an ASX-listed company called EcoQuest Limited. EcoQuest subsequently changed its name to Cynata Therapeutics Limited. The Cynata founders – Professor Slukvin, Dr Vodyanik and Dr Dixon all still hold shares in the Company and Professor Slukvin and Dr Vodyanik remain closely involved with the Company’s product development activities.