A bio-venture company in Kyoto City has started the world's first clinical trial with the aim of putting into practical use a treatment that administers platelets produced from other people's iPS cells to patients with diseases that are low in platelets, one of the components of blood. Was announced.
This was revealed at a meeting between Kenichi Akamatsu, president of the bio-venture company "Megakaryon" in Kyoto City, and Professor Hiroyuki Eto of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, one of the founders of the company.
According to this, the clinical trial is one of the components of blood, and it administers platelets produced from other people's iPS cells to patients with "thrombocytopenia" who need less platelets to stop bleeding. In April, it was administered to one patient.
The trial used special iPS cells that are less prone to rejection, and so far have had no noticeable side effects in patients.
The company plans to administer it to a total of 10 patients over the next year to confirm its safety and efficacy, and to apply for approval in the country at the earliest three years later with the aim of putting it into practical use.
According to the company, research has been conducted on the production and administration of platelets from the patient's own iPS cells, but this is the first time in the world that a clinical trial has been conducted using another person's iPS cells.
President Akamatsu said, "I think we have taken a very important first step toward practical application. Ultimately, we would like to connect it to a treatment method that is useful to society."