A group of researchers including Kyoto University Prof. Shinya Yamanaka that successfully developed induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, plans to create iPS cells from the cells of Japanese patients suffering from about 10 intractable and incurable diseases, including muscular dystrophy, it has been learned.
The researchers are set to apply to an in-house ethics committee for permission to begin the project and start work on research including developing new medicines using iPS cells as early as April.
Cell deterioration is usually studied to determine the cause of a particular ailment. But if the team can create iPS cells from patients' cells and transform them into sick ones, they will be able to elucidate the mechanism by which healthy cells degenerate.
According to Kyoto University Prof. Tatsutoshi Nakahata, who represents the group, and Yamanaka, who held a press conference in Kawasaki where he gave a lecture Saturday, targeted diseases include juvenile diabetes, muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerating diseases and congenital anemia. The team will invite patients at Kyoto University Hospital to donate cells for use in the research.
Cells will be extracted from patients' skin, blood lymphocytes, gastric mucosae and other sources. The group will compare iPS cells created from cells of healthy people with those created from sick cells.
Yamanaka created iPS cells from Americans' cells. But Japanese patients' cells will be used for this research project as the effects and side effects of therapies differ among races.
(Mar. 10, 2008)
The researchers are set to apply to an in-house ethics committee for permission to begin the project and start work on research including developing new medicines using iPS cells as early as April.
Cell deterioration is usually studied to determine the cause of a particular ailment. But if the team can create iPS cells from patients' cells and transform them into sick ones, they will be able to elucidate the mechanism by which healthy cells degenerate.
According to Kyoto University Prof. Tatsutoshi Nakahata, who represents the group, and Yamanaka, who held a press conference in Kawasaki where he gave a lecture Saturday, targeted diseases include juvenile diabetes, muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerating diseases and congenital anemia. The team will invite patients at Kyoto University Hospital to donate cells for use in the research.
Cells will be extracted from patients' skin, blood lymphocytes, gastric mucosae and other sources. The group will compare iPS cells created from cells of healthy people with those created from sick cells.
Yamanaka created iPS cells from Americans' cells. But Japanese patients' cells will be used for this research project as the effects and side effects of therapies differ among races.
(Mar. 10, 2008)