Kyoto University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Kazutoshi Takahashi's research lab specializes in regenerative medicine and stem cell biology, focusing on the generation and application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from human somatic cells. The lab investigates cellular reprogramming mechanisms, with particular emphasis on optimizing factor combinations and culture conditions to produce clinical-grade iPSCs. A key direction involves developing feeder-free and autologous systems, such as using isogenic fibroblasts as feeder layers, to enhance the safety and scalability of iPSCs for disease modeling and regenerative therapies. The lab also explores the epigenetic and developmental principles underlying cell fate conversion.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
If it were possible to reprogram differentiated human somatic cells into a pluripotent state, patient-specific and disease-specific stem cells could be developed. Previous work generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells capable of germline transmission from murine somatic cells by transducing 4 transcription factors: Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. The investigators now report generating iPS cells from adult human dermal fibroblasts using the same 4 factors. The first step was to optimize ret
Differentiated cells can be reprogrammed to pluripotency and other cell fates by treatment with defined factors. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has opened up unprecedented opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, in the clinic and in laboratories. In particular, the medical applications of human iPSCs in disease modeling and stem cell therapy have been progressing rapidly. The ability to induce cell fate conversion is attractive not only for these applications, but
Growing old is our destiny. However, the mature differentiated cells making up our body can be rejuvenated to an embryo-like fate called pluripotency which is an ability to differentiate into all cell types by enforced expression of defined transcription factors. The discovery of this induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has opened up unprecedented opportunities in regenerative medicine, disease modelling and drug discovery. In this review, we introduce the applications and future per
During development, cells transition from a pluripotent to a differentiated state, generating all the different types of cells in the body. Development is generally considered an irreversible process, meaning that a differentiated cell is thought to be unable to return to the pluripotent state. However, it is now possible to reprogram mature cells to pluripotency. It is generally thought that reprogramming is accomplished by reversing the natural developmental differentiation process, suggesting
These results suggest that autologous fibroblasts can be not only a source for iPS cells but also be feeder layers. Our results provide a possibility to solve the dilemma by using isogenic fibroblasts as feeder layers of iPS cells. This is an important step toward the establishment of clinical grade iPS cells.
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