Japan Approves World's First iPS Cell-Based Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Daily Current Affairs / Japan Approves World's First iPS Cell-Based Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Change Language English Hindi

Category : International Published on: March 12 2026

Share on facebook

Japan approved Amchepry, a stem-cell therapy by Sumitomo Pharma for Parkinson's disease, the world's first of its kind.
The therapy transplants lab-grown dopamine-producing neuron precursors derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into the brain.
Clinical trials at Kyoto University with 7 patients showed no major adverse effects; 4 patients showed notable improvement.
iPS cells were discovered by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 2012.
Japan also approved ReHeart by Cuorips for severe heart failure, using stem-cell-derived heart muscle sheets.
Both approvals represent a landmark advance in regenerative medicine and the future of stem-cell-based treatments globally.