Developing the method for induction of hypothalamic and pituitary unit

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K09878
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Endocrinology
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Suga Hidetaka 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (20569818)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 有馬 寛 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (50422770)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 視床下部 / 下垂体 / ヒト多能性幹細胞 / オルガノイド / 低血糖 / 再生医学 / 発生学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The pituitary gland plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis in the living body. It functions under the control of the hypothalamus. In the current hormone replacement therapy for clinical hypopituitarism, it may not be possible to reproduce the blood hormone changes that should be finely tuned, because the function of the hypothalamus cannot be compensated. To solve this problem in regenerative medicine using human ES / iPS cells, we have developed a technique for simultaneous generation of the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, which is the upper control organ to pituitary. In the induced cell-aggregate, hypothalamic tissue and pituitary tissue coexist and linked functionally.

Free Research Field

内分泌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

視床下部と下垂体が機能的に連携する仕組みを試験管内で初めて再現可能とし、低血糖など周囲の環境に反応する機能的な組織となっていることが判明した。下垂体機能低下症の再生医療においてより精密なホルモン分泌を再現できる新しい技術になり得る。加えて、下垂体と視床下部の両方を有した組織を試験管内で再現できているため、下垂体と視床下部の関連を解明する上でのモデルとしても期待でき、下垂体疾患の発症メカニズムの解明にも役立つと考えられる。