Life Science & Medical Technology

Science has Dr. Masayo Takahashi’s mother to thank, in a way, for some of the most notable developments in regenerative medicine using stem cells.

A Japanese team reported Thursday that five patients with a severe eye disease were doing well after they received in 2017 the world’s first transplant surgeries using induced pluripotent stem cells, known as iPS cells, from donors.

Japan plans to create a law to restrict gene editing of fertilized human eggs to basic research and ban such eggs from being returned to the uterus, sources close to the matter said Friday.

As the risk of cancer increases among the country’s aging population, immunologist Tasuku Honjo is pinning his hopes on cancer treatments that shift the approach from traditional methods directly targeting cancer cells to ones that stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the disease.

Japanese drug developers are preparing novel vaccines for the market, designed to combat the spread of dengue fever, cholera and malaria by using the latest in biopharmaceutical technology.

Japanese pharmaceutical companies are ramping up efforts to develop cures for rare diseases. Progress in digital technology and generous government financial support are making such drugs increasingly lucrative.

A medicine that encourages nerve cell regeneration can help improve mobility functions of spinal cord injury patients in their acute period, including those who are completely paralyzed, a research team led by a Keio University professor said on Thursday.

Wig maker Aderans Co. said Tuesday it has teamed with bioventure firm Spiber Inc. to develop protein-based artificial hair that is similar to natural hair.

Drugmakers look to apply advanced technologies used to treat cancer and other diseases toward combating seasonal allergies, a market segment set to skyrocket as climate change expands the range of affected populations worldwide.

Woolly mammoths could roam the earth again someday thanks to research reported Monday, where cell nuclei from one of the long-extinct animals showed biological activity when transplanted into mouse cells.