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SELECTBIO Conferences Cell Therapy Asia 2018

Masayo Takahashi's Biography



Masayo Takahashi, Professor, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research

Masayo Takahashi received her M.D. in 1986, and her Ph.D. in 1992 from Kyoto University. After an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto University Hospital, she moved to the Salk Institute in 1995, where she discovered the potential of stem cells as a tool for retinal therapy. She returned to Kyoto University Hospital in 1997, and was appointed associate professor at the Translational Research Center in the same hospital in 2001. She joined the RIKEN as a team leader of the Lab for Retinal Regeneration in 2006. In 2013, her team launched a pilot clinical study of autologous iPS cell-derived RPE cell sheets for exudative aged-related macular degeneration (AMD), and performed the first RPE cell sheet graft transplantation in Sept. 2014. In 2017, the team started using allogeneic iPS cells suspension in the clinical study. Her clinical specialty is retinal disease-specifically, macular diseases and retinal hereditary diseases. Her aim is to understand these diseases at a fundamental level and develop retinal regeneration therapies.

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Retinal Cell Therapy Using iPS Cells

Thursday, 6 December 2018 at 09:30

Add to Calendar ▼2018-12-06 09:30:002018-12-06 10:30:00Europe/LondonRetinal Cell Therapy Using iPS CellsCell Therapy Asia 2018 in Kobe, JapanKobe, JapanSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

The first in man application of iPS-derived cells started in September 2014, targeted age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  AMD is caused by the senescence of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), so that we aimed to replace damaged RPE with normal, young RPE made from iPS cells. We judged the outcome 1 year after the surgery. Primary endpoint was the safety, mainly the tumor formation and immune rejection. The grafted RPE cell sheet was not rejected nor made tumor after two years. The patient’s visual acuity stabilized after the surgery whereas it deteriorated before surgery in spite of 13 times injection of anti-VEGF in the eye. Since autologous transplantation is time consuming and expensive, it is necessary to prepare allogeneic transplantation to establish a standard treatment. RPE cells are suitable for allogeneic transplantation because they suppress the activation of the T-cell. From in vitro and in vivo study, it is possible that the rejection is considerably suppressed by using the iPS cell with matched HLA. Our new protocol has accepted by ministry in Feb 2017. We are planning transplantation using allogeneic iPS-RPE cell suspension & sheet, and also autologous iPS-RPE. For the cell suspension transplantation we will not combine CNV removal and apply to milder cases than sheet transplantation. In Japan, pharmaceutical law has been changed and a new chapter for regenerative medicine was created for clinical trial. Also the separate law for safety of regenerative medicine for clinical research (study) was enforced in 2015. These laws made the suitable condition for the brand new field of regenerative medicine. We are making regenerative medicine in co-operation with ministry & academia.


Add to Calendar ▼2018-12-06 00:00:002018-12-07 00:00:00Europe/LondonCell Therapy Asia 2018Cell Therapy Asia 2018 in Kobe, JapanKobe, JapanSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com