Science View S2018E02 - Treating Liver Disease with iPS Cells: New Breakthroughs with Miniature Livers

It's been 4 years since a Yokohama City University research group surprised the world by creating a miniature liver from iPS cells. Progress since has continued apace. In this episode, we meet Associate Professor Takanori Takebe of Yokohama City University. He's making great strides at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, using miniature livers in test tubes to reproduce a liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis or cancer. There are high expectations that his work might help bring about the first drug treatments for this currently cureless disease. We visit his lab in the US to see his scientifically astounding work firsthand, and he visits our studio to discuss the prospects for iPS cell research. And a report by Michelle explains about a Japanese researcher's innovative solution for culturing the iPS cells used by Takebe.