The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited have formed a joint research program to develop clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells. The Takeda-CiRA Joint Program for iPS Cell Applications (T-CiRA) will begin research in six core directions to explore clinical applications of stem cells in therapeutic areas including cancer, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, neuro-degenerative disorders, and intractable muscle diseases.

During the next 10 years, Takeda will provide collaborative funding of 20 billion yen ($164 million) and will jointly run multiple projects led by researchers invited from CiRA and other universities. The collaboration is expected to make significant contributions to the application of iPSC technology into clinical practice. It is aligned with the purpose of National Projects of Japan on clinical applications of iPS cell technologies.

Currently, the aforementioned six projects are carried out simultaneously at Takeda’s Shonan Research Center (Kanagawa, Japan) as the main venue, with approximately 60 researchers in total from CiRA and Takeda. New projects will be added to the T-CiRA Program when the new laboratory space is completed in April 2016. It is anticipated that the program will have over 10 projects with participation of more than 100 researchers.

Source: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company