Developing the differentiation methods from pluripotent stem cells to glomerular endothelial cells for diabetic research

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23933
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0902:General internal medicine and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Toyohara Takafumi 東北大学, 医工学研究科, 特任助教 (60594182)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 内皮細胞 / iPS細胞 / 腎臓

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project, we aimed to establish differentiation methods from pluripotent stem cells to glomerular endothelial cells for developing new therapy against diabetic nephropathy. We screened some growth factors existing at glomerulus that increase the expression of DKK2, one of the potential markers for glomerular endothelial cells. Some factors induced DKK2 when they were added at the late time point of the previous differentiation method (Patsch et al. Nat Cell Biol., 2015). Some factors also synergistically induced DKK2. DKK2 expression was more upregulated on the laminin 512-coating plate.

Free Research Field

腎臓内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒト多能性幹細胞は様々な組織や細胞にも分化することが可能で、無限に増殖することができる。本研究成果をさらに発展させてヒト腎臓にある糸球体内皮細胞が作製可能となれば、糖尿病性腎症をはじめその他の腎症の病態解明や薬剤スクリーニングが飛躍的に進むことが期待される。また腎疾患に対する細胞移植療法の材料となる可能性も将来的には考えられる。