Major Takeda Boost To Japan’s iPSC Ambitions

20 Apr 2015

If further industry validation were needed of the attractions of Japan's flagship induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, it has now been provided in a major practical research collaboration involving the country's largest pharma firm.

TOKYO - Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed a 10-year joint research program with the Center for iPS Cell Research Application (CiRA) of Kyoto University, under which the main aim is to discover new iPSC-based therapies and progress these into the clinic.

The alliance represents the biggest industry-academic agreement yet focusing on practical applications of the technology, which - together with regenerative...