The artificial platelet manufacturing project being carried out by a research group led by Professor Hiroyuki Eto of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, has been selected as a candidate for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)'s Economic Security Key Technology Development Program. The government aims to put the technology into practical use by fiscal 2028.
According to the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University, the research group includes not only Kyoto University, but also the Jikei University of Medicine, Chiba University, Yamanashi University, precision machinery giant Canon, mixing equipment manufacturer Satake Multimix, and regenerative medical product contract manufacturing organization Minaris Regenerative Medicine.
The project will run for five years until fiscal year 2028. The goal is to establish and commercialize a system for the continuous artificial production of platelets from iPS cells. The budget for the period from fiscal year 5 to fiscal year 2024 is 2028 billion yen.
Platelets are a blood component that is responsible for hemostasis, and are currently made from donated blood. However, they can only be stored for about four days, and there are fears that in the future, as the population continues to decline, the amount of donated blood will decrease and it will become difficult to ensure a stable supply. A hemostatic agent that uses artificial platelets can be stockpiled for several months, and will be developed so that it will not cause rejection when administered to anyone.
While the government is preparing for major disasters that would result in large numbers of injuries, such as a massive earthquake along the Nankai Trough or an earthquake directly beneath the capital, it is also considering developing the product into a flagship Japanese product to be exported overseas.
