Shinya Yamanaka is a very successful biologist that is an expert in STEM cell research. He has recently become a frontrunner with the discoveries he has made in the field. To understand Yamanaka’s life, it is important to look at his early life, his accomplishments, and the significance/implications of these discoveries for the future.
Shinya Yamanaka was a very well educated man that worked hard to get the positions he desired despite several setbacks. Yamanaka was born on September 4, 1962 in Osaka Japan. In 1987 Yamanaka received an MD from Kobe university. Six years later, he received a PhD from Osaka city University graduate school(Britannica). He looked as if he were going to have a great career ahead of him. However his residency at …show more content…
Before Yamanaka made his famous discovery in stem cell research, he worked in many prestigious positions in both Japan and the United States. Yamanaka’s first job was at Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, where he tested the effects of modifying genes in mice(britannica). Yamanaka’s goal was to lower cholesterol levels in the mice, but he ended up giving them liver cancer(UCSF). This failure may have pushed Yamanaka to go back to Japan, where he worked at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Osaka city and Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyōto University(britannica). This intense period of research was when Yamanaka became increasingly focused on stem cell research. His time in Japan led to his groundbreaking development of the induced Pluripotent Stem Cell(iPS). This is a stem cell that was reverse engineered from an already differentiated cell(wikipedia). This incredible discovery led him to win many awards including: Kyoto prize for advanced technology(2010), Millenium Technology award(2012), and many more(UCSF). Yamanaka’s most notable award was the Nobel prize in medicine(2012) which he won along with John Gurdon for the development of the iPS cell(Wikipedia). These awards show how groundbreaking Yamanaka’s discovery could be for the future of …show more content…
Stem cell therapy has long been a subject for debate for its treatment of embryonic cells. Many think that embryonic stem cells should be left alone, as messing with them for research or therapy is harming the unborn child(Eurostemcell.org). Embryonic stem cells as of today are difficult(and impossible in many countries) to obtain. With iPS cells, stem cells would be significantly easier to obtain. Researchers are currently exploring the idea of using iPS cells for certain endangered animals. The need to preserve the egg cells has motivated researchers to look for other ways to obtain animal stem cells(wikipedia). Human trials have also been performed. They have been proven safe, but their effectiveness is questionable. While Yamanaka himself said that iPS cells are far from ready, progress is moving along much faster than predicted(sciencemag.org). Yamanaka is currently working in both San Francisco, California and Kyoto, Japan for Gladstone and Kyoto University(britannica). With the future of iPS cells changing every day, the possible results are exciting to look forward
Shinya Yamanaka was a very well educated man that worked hard to get the positions he desired despite several setbacks. Yamanaka was born on September 4, 1962 in Osaka Japan. In 1987 Yamanaka received an MD from Kobe university. Six years later, he received a PhD from Osaka city University graduate school(Britannica). He looked as if he were going to have a great career ahead of him. However his residency at …show more content…
Before Yamanaka made his famous discovery in stem cell research, he worked in many prestigious positions in both Japan and the United States. Yamanaka’s first job was at Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, where he tested the effects of modifying genes in mice(britannica). Yamanaka’s goal was to lower cholesterol levels in the mice, but he ended up giving them liver cancer(UCSF). This failure may have pushed Yamanaka to go back to Japan, where he worked at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Osaka city and Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyōto University(britannica). This intense period of research was when Yamanaka became increasingly focused on stem cell research. His time in Japan led to his groundbreaking development of the induced Pluripotent Stem Cell(iPS). This is a stem cell that was reverse engineered from an already differentiated cell(wikipedia). This incredible discovery led him to win many awards including: Kyoto prize for advanced technology(2010), Millenium Technology award(2012), and many more(UCSF). Yamanaka’s most notable award was the Nobel prize in medicine(2012) which he won along with John Gurdon for the development of the iPS cell(Wikipedia). These awards show how groundbreaking Yamanaka’s discovery could be for the future of …show more content…
Stem cell therapy has long been a subject for debate for its treatment of embryonic cells. Many think that embryonic stem cells should be left alone, as messing with them for research or therapy is harming the unborn child(Eurostemcell.org). Embryonic stem cells as of today are difficult(and impossible in many countries) to obtain. With iPS cells, stem cells would be significantly easier to obtain. Researchers are currently exploring the idea of using iPS cells for certain endangered animals. The need to preserve the egg cells has motivated researchers to look for other ways to obtain animal stem cells(wikipedia). Human trials have also been performed. They have been proven safe, but their effectiveness is questionable. While Yamanaka himself said that iPS cells are far from ready, progress is moving along much faster than predicted(sciencemag.org). Yamanaka is currently working in both San Francisco, California and Kyoto, Japan for Gladstone and Kyoto University(britannica). With the future of iPS cells changing every day, the possible results are exciting to look forward