Ten years have elapsed since the government gave its full policy support for the research field of regenerative medicine centered on iPS cells.

In 2012, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent and behave like embryonic stem cells capable of becoming any type of cell.

The Abe administration decided the following year to promote iPS research as a key component of its growth strategy. Since then, the government has spent more than 100 billion yen ($687 million) to fund research labs and programs related to iPS cells.

Legislation was also amended to allow for quick authorization of cells and tissue produced using the technique.

Research for medical applications of the technique has focused on therapies that involve transplanting cells and tissue made from iPS cells. Clinical studies and trials have shown a certain degree of safety in using this approach to treat retinal and corneal diseases, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, spinal cord injury and other illnesses.

However, there have been few cases where the effectiveness or advantages of this technique were clearly demonstrated. Efforts to use iPS cells to develop powerful new treatments for a range of diseases are now facing a “valley of death”--the phase between research and successful innovation--Yamanaka said. Researchers are also grappling with funding and profitability challenges. The question is how to build effective cooperation between academia and industry in the future.

Another key area of research for medical applications of iPS cells is the field of “drug discovery,” in which tissue created from patient iPS cells is studied to clarify how specific diseases develop and find effective treatments. There have been some achievements in this field, while clinical trials in certain areas are continuing. But no approved drug has emerged from projects in this field.

There is no established process of using iPS cells to develop medical products. Many unknowns remain. It must be said that the government’s plan to achieve economic growth driven by iPS cell research in 10 years was based on unfounded optimism.

The government should refocus its strategy for promoting iPS cell research on steady, long-term support for basic research based on the assumption that it will take some time before actual therapies using iPS cells emerge.

Some experts have warned of the danger of devoting a large portion of the government’s science budget to iPS cell research. In some countries, more notable progress has been made in research in ES cell research, a field with a long history.

In 2012, a new technique was invented to make it possible to edit the human genome precisely and with greater ease. This new genome editing technology has also been used to make various changes to the DNA of iPS cells. The strategy for promoting iPS cell research should be based on a broad perspective and designed to be flexible enough to allow introducing and combining new technologies.

Japan, in particular, has lagged in the field of gene therapy, a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem, usually by altering a person’s genetic makeup.

It took researchers more than 30 years to develop new practical therapies using this approach. But therapeutic drugs developed overseas are beginning to be approved in Japan. The government implemented a new program this fiscal year to provide integrated support for regenerative medicine and gene therapy. But the effort needs to start by developing necessary human resources and facilities.

The 1990s marked the start of clinical research on gene therapy in Japan as well. But the initial boom fizzled after reports of fatal accidents and serious side effects emerged in Europe and the United States.

Some major Western nations are far ahead of Japan in this field because they have steadily stuck to this area of research. The lesson for Japan is the importance of providing long-lasting policy support for basic research that is not influenced by temporary trends or setbacks.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 19