Drug screening and development using hES/iPSC-derived otic progenitor

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670748
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Otorhinolaryngology
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Ogawa Kaoru 慶應義塾大学, 医学部(信濃町), 教授 (00169179)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 感音難聴 / iPS細胞 / 創薬研究 / 薬剤スクリーニング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since the inner ear is located deep inside the temporal bone and its biopsy causes severe hearing loss, studies using human inner ear cells have not been performed so far. In this study, we developed drug screening systems using a highly efficient inner otocyst-like cell induction method from hES/iPS cells. From the study, we obtained new hair cell inducers and a humoral factor for the induction of outer sulcus cells, defined a molecular mechanism of the maintenance of stemness in the cochlear progenitors and a mechanism for the maturation of hair cells. Also, we obtained the MABEL of rapamycin on the prevention of apoptosis of the outer sulcus cells of Pendred syndrome/ DFNB4.

Free Research Field

感音難聴