Spinal cord injury patients: iPS cell transplants repair damage
– Two patients can now feed themselves, and motor function has improved
– “Yanai my iPS factory” to be completed in Osaka in April
Summary from Yomiuri Shimbun article.
Research team from Keio University and others:
On March 21, cells made from iPS cells were transplanted into four patients who were paralyzed by spinal cord injury.
1. In the world’s first clinical study, it was announced that the motor function of two patients had improved.
2. Two patients were able to feed themselves, and one of them was able to stand.
The team believes that “the transplanted cells may have repaired the damage.”
Clinical research at Keio University School of Medicine:
Professor Masaya Nakamura (Orthopedic Surgery): Professor Hideyuki Okano (Physiology) conducted the clinical research.
The results were reported at the Japan Society for Regenerative Medicine held in Yokohama.
iPS cell transplants: Repairing damage:
1. The patients were four people aged 18 or older, 2 to 4 weeks after injury.
2. The injury occurred below the neck and chest, and motor function and sensation were completely paralyzed.
3. The team created nerve cells from iPS cells from healthy people.
Between 2021 and 2023, 2 million cells were transplanted into the injured spinal cord of each patient.
Keio University Hospital: Test results one year later:
Approximately one year after the transplant, the effectiveness was verified at Keio University Hospital.
Five-level motor function score:
1. One patient recovered three levels.
2. The other patient recovered two levels.
3. The remaining two patients had the same score as before treatment, but their symptoms improved.
Number of spinal cord injury patients in Japan: 6,000 per year Onset:
Spinal cord injuries are caused by traffic accidents, etc.
1. The number of new patients in Japan is about 6,000 per year.
2. The number of chronic patients is said to be over 100,000.
The research team will conduct clinical trials on chronic patients with fixed paralysis in 2027.
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/medical/20250321-OYT1T50142/
Kyoto University: Automatically Produce “my iPS Cells”!
・With “my iPS”, there is no rejection reaction
・”Yanai my iPS Factory” opens in Osaka in April
Summary from Nikkei Newspaper article.
“Yanai my iPS Factory”:
Yanai my iPS Factory (Osaka City, 18th) opens.
1. iPS cells “my iPS” are produced from patients’ cells.
2. The research foundation opens the facility where they are safely stored to the press.
3. The manufacturing process, which was previously done manually, has been fully automated.
Nakanoshima Cross in Osaka: Starts operation in April
1. Equipped with 14 German-made culture devices, my iPS cells are cultured fully automatically.
2. Cells are extracted from blood and my iPS cells can be produced in about one month.
Two types of iPS cells:
Clinical research is progressing for Parkinson’s disease and age-related macular degeneration, which reduces vision.
1. iPS cells have a type called “HLA”, just like blood types.
2. If this type does not match, a rejection reaction occurs.
On the other hand, there is no rejection reaction when “my iPS” is made from one’s own cells.
Canon’s latest iPS cell equipment:
Canon is developing a domestically produced culture device.
1. In the future, it will produce iPS cells for 1,000 people per year.
2. It will reduce the manufacturing cost per person to 1 million yen.
Fast Retailing: Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai
1. In support of my iPS, Yanai will donate 500 million yen per year for nine years starting in 2021.
2. The facility was built with this donation, so it was named after Yanai.
The need for “multi-pathway”:
The option of my iPS will be important in providing iPS cell medical treatment in the future.
If a problem arises with iPS cells derived from another person, my iPS can be used to solve the problem.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUF11ANO0R10C25A3000000/