Japan Lecture Series: Recent Progress in iPS Cell Research and Application

Prof. Dr. Shinya Yamanaka discovered the phenomenon of initialization of mature cells by introducing a few factors into somatic cells, which enabled the cells to acquire pluripotency. The new type of pluripotent cells are called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. He announced mouse iPS cells in 2006 and human iPS cells in 2007. This discovery was a scientific breakthrough and brought with it high expectations for clinical applications such as regenerative medicine and drug discovery to establish new treatments for intractable diseases. In 2012, only 6 years later of this extraordinary discovery, Prof. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Since 2010, the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University is conducting research on stem cell technology, iPS cell-based therapies and industrial applications. Where do we stand today and what results have been achieved in the clinical context? In his talk, Prof. Yamanaka will also present his vision for the next years.