Great Hope on iPS

Comforting damaged pride of the Japanese on science and technology, a research team of Riken, which name became worldly common with disputed discovery of stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency cell, was successful in an operation of planting induced pluripotent stem cell on an eye of a woman. It made the first example of actual application. Scientists were delighted on the progress of the study and expected optical improvement of her. It was an undoubted scientific achievement all the nation had been waiting.

The operation was to cure an obstinate disease called age-related macular degeneration, which would be caused by disorder of retina and might cause losing sight. The study team prepared a small sheet originated by iPS cell made from a tissue of the p
atient, spending ten months. The sheet was settled on right place and the team would take a close watch on the patient at least for four years. “We made a great step of clinical study in a short period of seven years from discovery of iPS cell,” told the founder of the cell and Nobel Prize laureate, Shinya Yamanaka.

The biggest concern for the team is whether the cell will turn to cancer. It has been indicated that iPS cell might possibly turn to cancer when it would be planted on human body. The team studied various method of creating iPS cell, not to make the cell turn to cancer. The government of Japan backed the study up, while it took serious consideration for admitting the operation.

Different from embryonic stem cell, iPS cell does not need destruction of inseminated egg. If its development is successful, experts expects that the cell will be useful for Parkinson’s disease, heart failure or broken bones and joints. The government expects economic advantage the technology on iPS will bring. A study group of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry predicted last year that market of regeneration medical would be expand from ¥9 billion in 2012 to ¥1 trillion in 2030. The cell might be potent for helping economic policy in the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Newspapers reported the achievement on front page. News organizations lost its credibility through the reports on STAP cell, in which they swung between praising the achievement of young female scientist and denouncing immature method of her study. That revealed how Japanese news reports were vulnerable for science and technology. In the time of growing criticism on some reports of Asahi Shimbun, common good news would ease tension between media corporations. “This is still in two tenths to the peak of mountain,” told the project leader, Masayo Takahashi. Exaggeration of media may make matters worse.