Kyoto University's CiRA Foundation said Thursday it will provide induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells created from the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 to research institutions both in Japan and abroad free of charge.

The aim of the initiative is to help researchers identify why some people develop severe symptoms of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, said the Kyoto-based foundation.

Six people who recovered from severe, moderate or mild COVID-19 symptoms have given consent to the production of iPS cells from their blood and the supply of the cells, according to the foundation, linked to the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, or CiRA.

Blood was collected from them between June and September last year. The quality of iPS cells derived from three of the six has already been confirmed, and the foundation began accepting applications for the supply of the cells on Thursday.