Foundation Projects
Organoid(2023/4~)
Development of advanced medical technology using organoids
- Keio University Co-leader: Prof. Toshiro Sato (Dept. of Integrated Medicine and Biochemistry, School of Medicine)
- JSR Corp. Co-leader: Manabu Itoh
Background
Various organs and tissues that make up our bodies contain a small number of stem cells (adult stem cells). In a special environment known as the stem cell niche, adult stem cells proliferate by themselves while producing differentiated cells with specific biological functions for each tissue. That biological system centered on stem cells maintains tissue homeostasis. On the other hand, when tissues are injured to change the stem cell niche, in response to such an environmental change adult stem cells trigger repair and regeneration of damaged tissue. By creating in vitro environment that mimics the stem cell niche and culturing adult stem cells in it, we can create organoids that reproduce in vivo organ functions.
Objectives
This project is engaged in the development of technologies for efficient organoid proliferation and differentiation for evaluation of pharmaceuticals’ efficacy and safety. In addition, we aim to apply organoids to the field of regenerative medicine and develop organoid-based therapies in the future.