TOKYO -- The collaboration on clinical research announced Monday by Kyoto University and three other Japanese institutions is aimed at establishing a faster and cheaper method of using induced pluripotent stem cells for transplants while ensuring the safety of one of the most promising medical treatments.
One major advantage of using iPS cells, which can be taken from the patient and grown into necessary tissue, was originally seen as their low risk of rejection. But it takes about a year to develop iPS cells into needed tissues, which may frustrate timely treatment. The process also costs nearly 100 million yen ($931,000).
