Stem cell research has been booming in several areas,including the areas of neurodegenerative disease, and the new center willcapitalize on that, building on work done by a Gladstone investigator in 2006.Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D., a senior investigator at Gladstone, and his
KyotoUniversity team discovered how to reprogram skin cells into cells that coulddevelop into other cells types, similar to embryonic stem cells. These inducedpluripotent stem cells (iPS) became huge in the field of regenerative medicineand remain a staple in stem cell research.
In an effort to build on this technology, the RoddenberryCenter for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone also announced theformation of an agreement with Kyoto University's
Center for iPS Cell Researchand Application (CiRA), of which Yamanaka is the director. CiRA is involvedwith drug discovery and regenerative medicine, with a specific focus on inducedpluripotency and cellular reprogramming. The partnership will allow for asharing of materials and knowledge between the two stem cell centers.
"The Roddenberry gift will help us create the human,iPS-based disease models that we need to accelerate the development of drugtherapies for a host of devastating diseases, honoring Gene Roddenberry's callto 'live long and prosper,'" Deepak Srivastava, M.D., director of stem cell andcardiovascular research at Gladstone, said in a press release.
Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit biomedical-researchorganization, and is affiliated with the
University of California, SanFrancisco.
SOURCE: Gladstone press release
