Japanese looking at regeneration potential

Published: 1-Jul-2002


Encouraged by the government, Japanese pharmaceutical companies are moving quickly to build a presence in the new field of regenerative medicine. Major brewer Kirin is developing technology for regenerating blood vessels by transplanting stem cells. This will enable the regeneration of blood vessels damaged by heart disease or arteriosclerosis. Kirin has already established a lead in treating illnesses with cellular therapy, and a technique in which immune cells are transplanted into a patient to treat prostate cancer is undergoing clinical trials. The company plans to make cellular therapy a core operation.

Meanwhile biotech company Japan Tissue Engineering, known as J-Tec, is to enter regenerative medicine for recreating bones and nerves using stem cells. It aims to commercialise the technology for bones during or after 2008 and for nerves in or after 2010. And Kaken Pharmaceutical says it has succeeded in regrowing broken bones in animals through the injection of certain proteins, and aims to develop a drug containing these proteins.

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