Society

Govt. approves iPS clinical test for blood disease

Sep 22 (NHK) - Japan's government has approved an application for a clinical test of treatment for an intractable blood disease using iPS cells, which can grow into any type of body tissue.

A health ministry panel on Friday gave the go-ahead to the application by a team at Kyoto University for the test for aplastic anemia.

People with the disease have blood platelet deficiency and are prone to internal bleeding.

Conventional treatment includes blood transfusions, but some patients cannot receive them due to severe rejection.

The team has chosen a patient for the test. Members plan to create iPS cells from the patient's cells, grow them into blood platelets and transfuse them.

With administrative procedures completed, the team says it wants to start the test once preparations are ready.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

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Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

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1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

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A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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