RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
Regen Med. 2011 Nov;6(6 Suppl):160-2. doi: 10.2217/rme.11.65.
Japan continues to be a major player in stem cell biology and related fields, boasting multiple world-class programs in a broad spectrum of stem cell studies, a permissive regulatory framework, an active society for regenerative medicine and a growing industry involvement. The most noted work in recent years has of course originated in the laboratory of Shinya Yamanaka, with the first report of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) in 2006, and numerous technical advancements since, which prompted the government to establish a Center for iPS Cell Research and Application in 2010 (see below). Additional concentrations of stem cell research excellence can be found in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Kumamoto. In 2011, Yoshiki Sasai's laboratory in the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, achieved another remarkable result in inducing optic cup-like structures from embryonic stem cells using 4D tissue culture techniques, building on previous work in which the group had generated stratified cerebral cortex-like tissue from embryonic stem cells in vitro.
日本在干细胞生物学及相关领域一直扮演着重要角色，拥有多个世界级的项目，涵盖了广泛的干细胞研究领域，拥有宽松的监管框架、活跃的再生医学学会以及不断发展的产业参与度。近年来，最引人注目的工作当然源自山中伸弥的实验室，他在 2006 年首次报道了诱导多能干细胞（iPS 细胞），此后又取得了众多技术进展，促使政府于 2010 年成立了诱导多能干细胞研究与应用中心（见下文）。东京、大阪、神户和熊本等地也集中了大量的干细胞研究优势。2011 年，神户理化学研究所发育生物学中心的 Yoshiki Sasai 实验室利用 4D 组织培养技术，从胚胎干细胞中诱导出类似视杯的结构，这是该小组在之前的工作基础上取得的又一显著成果，他们曾在体外从胚胎干细胞中生成类似大脑皮层的分层组织。
