Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Kyoto University’s CiRA announced that they will work together to develop clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells in areas such as heart failure, diabetes mellitus, neurological disorders and cancer immunotherapy. The “Takeda-CiRA Joint Program for iPS Cell Applications” (T-CiRA) is designed to expedite multiple research projects for drug discovery and cell therapy using iPS cells. CiRA Director Shinya Yamanaka will direct the Program, while Takeda provides long-term funding and facilities at its Shonan Research Center, Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Takeda news release, April 17, 2015