Yes, Japan allows stem cell research- the research that can’t be effected by most Americans.  The US government has forbidden one scintilla of such research to be performed, if the institution receives even one penny of US funding. Which means that American scientists cannot use their ingenuity to produce the artificial organs that would result if they could. But, the research about which I am reporting today is actually legal under US law.

Dr. Ryuichi Nishinakamura, along with his colleagues S. Sharmin, A. Taguchi, Y. Kaku, Y. Yoshimura, and T. Ohmori (all from Kumamoto University), as well as T. Sakuma, M. Mukoyama, T. Yamamoto (these three from Hiroshima University) and H. Kurihara (Juntendo School of Medicine) just had their research “pre-published” in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Their publication “Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell–Derived Podocytes Mature into Vascularized Glomeruli upon Experimental Transplantation,” appeared online as of 19 November, 2015.

These scientists employed induced pluripotent cells (iPS) in their work. You may recall (I’ve written about iPS several times- here’s one example) that these are specialized adult cells (such as skin fibroblasts) that have been ‘reprogrammed’ to act as if they were true stem-cells. Until now, iPS cells were employed for drug development and disease modeling studies, because we have been unsure if they lacked certain aspects of ‘real’ stem cells.

Obviously, Nishinakamura’s group found that they are capable of the desired activity.Because they produced kidney tissue from these human iPS and then were able to transplant those structures into mice kidneys. The mice’s blood vessels (within their kidneys) readily attached to these cells, which is a momentous step. Moreover, the filtration membranes  (their structures included a glomerulus with a Bowman’s capsule) were functional, which meant that a urine-producing stem-cell derived kidney would be  possible. (I reported why this is a critical step for cloned kidneys here. )

However, what Nishinakamura’s group has not done was to  find a way for urine discharge to be effected. That was the critical step that Yokote et. al. (as discussed in the same blog post mentioned above ) solved- by creqating special urine release circuits in the kidneys.

Maybe these two groups can work together to use the iPS and the new pathways to really let us provide what is needed- usable stem cell derived kidney replacements. Remember, there are 500,000 folks in the US with kidney disease (75,000 awaiting transplants each year- but only 1/5 get them) and using stem cells to produce the implant mean no immunosuppressants will be required.   Moreover, about the same census exists outside the US who are looking forward to such a development!

Today is Pearl Harbor Day.  Until 9-11-2001, it was the worst attack that foreigners perpetrated upon the US.  It was a solemn occasion that marked the US’ official entry into the Second World War (or the final end to the World War, since this “new” event was clearly related to the events of World War I). 

Interestingly, American’s rarely recall Gettysburg, which atrocity admittedly took three days- but 50,000 Americans were killed in that battle- by Americans!  Actually, that was the worst atrocity effected on American soil.

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