Kyoto University Develops World's First Method To Create iPS Cells Using Blood Cells

Sep 10, 2025 | News On Japan

KYOTO - Kyoto University said it has developed a world-first method for generating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from blood cells, an advance expected to make patient-specific cell lines faster and safer to produce.

iPS cells are typically created by introducing so-called reprogramming factor genes into skin cells. Because blood cells are easy to collect, they have been viewed as a convenient starting material for iPS production.

The drawback has been their vulnerability to external stress. In approaches that introduce RNA—considered safer for clinical applications—many cells die during reprogramming, limiting yield.

The university reports that delivering a specially designed RNA into blood cells increased the number of iPS cells that survive the process by more than tenfold.

“As creating iPS cells from an individual’s own cells has progressed considerably, we think this method can be applied in such settings,” said Makoto Nakagawa, a lecturer at Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA).

The technique is expected to improve the efficiency of iPS cell production.

Source: MBS

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