Pluripotent stem cell leader Shinya Yamanaka to receive Inamori Foundation’s 26th Annual Kyoto Prize in “Advanced Technology”

KYOTO, JAPAN — June 18, 2010 — The non-profit Inamori Foundation (President: Dr. Kazuo Inamori) today announced that Dr. Shinya Yamanaka will receive its 26th annual Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology, which for 2010 focuses on the fields of Biotechnology and Medical Technology. Dr. Yamanaka, 47, will receive the award for his pioneering work in developing a technology to generate pluripotent stem cells that does not require the use of human embryos.Yamanaka currently serves as a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco; a professor at Kyoto University; and the director of CiRA, Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application.

Dr. Yamanaka’s Work

Pluripotent stem cells are believed to hold tremendous future promise for treating human injury and disease because of their ability to grow into virtually any type of differentiated cell. For years, however, research in this area has been impeded by two concerns. The first is ethical, since traditional technologies have derived stem cells from human embryos, which are destroyed in the process. The second concern is the risk of immunological rejection, since transplanted embryonic stem (ES) cells are not the patient’s own cells.

Determined to find a way of developing stem cells that did not destroy human embryos, Dr. Yamanaka turned his research toward “reprogramming” adult skin cells. By introducing just four transcription factor genes into dermal fibroblasts, he succeeded in creating “induced pluripotent” stem (iPS) cells, which exhibit pluripotency similar to that of embryonic stem (ES) cells. The potential of this achievement includes the long-term possibility of future stem cell therapies based on a patient’s own cells.

It has long been recognized that the expression profile of the genome can be reprogrammed into a nondifferentiated state if a differentiated cell nucleus is transplanted into an enucleated ovum. Dr. Yamanaka approached his research from the hypothesis that the same factors which maintain the pluripotency of ES cells may also be able to reprogram a differentiated cell -- for example, an adult skin cell -- back into its embryonic state. He identified 24 candidate genes expressed specifically in ES cells. After carrying out numerous experiments on such genes, he finally succeeded in generating iPS cells with a growth potential similar to that of ES cells by introducing only four genes* into dermal fibroblast cells, initially of mice. The resultant iPS cells proved to have both the capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency. Dr. Yamanaka’s research group then went on to generate iPS cells from human adult skin cells using a similar technique.

Dr. Yamanaka’s iPS cell technology holds great long-term expectations for revealing the pathologies of diseases that afflict humans -- like type I diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis. Additionally, it offers the hope of providing insights into possible future treatments for diseases that are currently considered incurable, by giving scientists the tools to reprogram cells back to their embryonic state and observe them as they develop in the lab. The iPS cell technology is expected to aid in the screening process for drug discovery and drug toxicity testing, which will allow researchers to identify drugs that have the greatest chance of succeeding and the fewest side effects. Finally, in assessing the most longterm impact, Dr. Yamanaka’s work has the potential to expand the future possibilities of regenerative medicine, and the medical sciences overall.

Other 2010 Kyoto Prize Laureates

In addition to Dr. Yamanaka, this year’s Kyoto Prize laureates include:

In “Basic Sciences:" Dr. László Lovász, 62, a citizen of both the U.S. and Hungary, director of the Mathematical Institute at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, and president of the International Mathematics Union, who has provided a link among numerous branches of the mathematical sciences through his advanced research on discrete structures; and

In “Arts and Philosophy:" Mr. William Kentridge, 55, a visual artist from Johannesburg, South Africa, whose wide-ranging activities encompass animation, stage direction and writing.

About the Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Prize

As Japan’s highest private award for global achievement, the Kyoto Prize honors significant contributions to the betterment of society. Each Kyoto Prize laureate will be presented with a diploma, a 20-karat-gold Kyoto Prize medal, and a cash gift totaling 50 million yen (approximately US$550,000) during a week of ceremonies beginning November 9, 2010, in Kyoto. The laureates will reconvene in San Diego, Calif., April 4-6, 2011, for the tenth annual Kyoto Prize Symposium.

The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera and KDDI Corporation. The Kyoto Prize was founded in 1985, in line with Dr. Inamori’s belief that a human being has no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between our scientific progress and our spiritual depth. An emblematic feature of the Kyoto Prize is that it is presented not only in recognition of outstanding achievements, but also in honor of the excellent personal characteristics that have shaped those achievements. The laureates are selected through a strict and impartial process considering candidates recommended from around the world. As of the 25th Kyoto Prize ceremony (November 10, 2009), the Kyoto Prize has been awarded to 81 individuals and one foundation -- collectively representing 13 nations. Individual laureates range from scientists, engineers and researchers to philosophers, painters, architects, sculptors, musicians and film directors. The United States has produced the most recipients (33), followed by Japan (13), the United Kingdom (12), and France (8).