Institute for Integrated Cell-Material SciencesVol.

92020 March

Kyoto University

contents

02

FeatureStem Cell Research and iCeMS

07

iCeMS Frontrunners
Ken-ichiro Kamei
Integrating Engineering and Biology to Create
Artificial Cellular Microenvironments

10

The Other Half of iCeMS
Izumi Mindy Takamiya
Science Communicator

A miniature human body model'Body on a Chip' can reproduce thehuman physiological response by
installing different organ tissues andconnecting them with tiny valves.
Turn to page 7 to read the full story.

11

iCeMS in brief

Feature

Stem Cell Research and iCeMS
Stem cells, found in almost all multicellular organisms, have the ability to turninto different types of cells in the body. Stem cells are believed to have played
an important role in the evolution of multicellular organism from ancient singlecell organisms that date back roughly a billion years.
iCeMS has been researching basic stem cell biology from a wide variety ofperspectives since its inception in 2007. Dr Kouichi
Hasegawa tells us about iCeMS stem cell research.

Tissue (Adult) Stem Cells Are Present inand Supporting our Body

Fertilized egg

Neural stem cells

2-cell stage

Blastocyst

Epithelial stem cells

It is sometimes incorrectly thought that stem cells area man-made tool for regenerative medicine and othercutting-edge science. The truth is that even after birth,the human body naturally contains tissue or adultstem cells (as opposed to embryonic stem cells).
There are various types of adult stem cells, including
hematopoietic (blood-producing) and neural stem cells.

The former are progenitors for red blood cells, whiteblood cells, platelets, and many other blood components, while the latter produce neurons. Adult stem
cells are present in a population of differentiated cells
for the purpose of maintenance and repair. When you
fall and scratch the skin on your knee; epidermal stem
cells there are able to heal the skin in a few weeks.

Pluripotency of Embryonic Stem and iPS Cells
The term “pluripotency” refers to the ability of a cell to generate all of an organism’s somatic cells.

The human body contains anestimated 37 trillion cells, categorized into more than 200 different types. These vast numbers ofcells can be traced back to a single cell, the fertilized egg. In themother's womb, the fertilized egg
undergoes repeated cell divisionand produces stem cells, which
are the source of all tissues andorgans, each with their own specialized physiological functions.
Let’s have a look at the enigmatic nature of stem cells.

Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are pluripotent because they can differentiate into all types of cells in our body.
Kouichi Hasegawa
Born in Kumamoto, Japan, in
1972. In his current position
since 2017. He received his PhD
degree in 2000 from Kwansei
Gakuin University Graduate
School of Science. He served as
an assistant professor at University of Southern California, US,an assistant investigator at theInstitute for Stem Cell Biology
and Regenerative Medicine, India, and as a senior fellow at
the University of Melbourne,
Australia. He also serves as ascientific advisor to several biotech startups.

Self-Renewal andDifferentiation Potentials

Liver stem cells
Germline stem cells

Hematopoietic
stem cells

cate itself and its ability to produce other cell types. While
the stem cell can make multiple copies of itself without losing its potential (self-renewal), it also has the potential toturn into a different type of cell (differentiation). For example,
the fertilized egg produces skin, nerve, liver, and many othertypes of cells while undergoing repeated cell division.

2

ES cells are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos. The harvested cells are cultured
to establish ES cell lines. Following the 1981 establishment of the first mouse ES cell line, the first human
ES cell line was developed in 1998. In Japan, the firsthuman ES cell line was established by the Kyoto Uni-

versity team led by Prof Nakatsuji (iCeMS founding director). Subsequent technological developments havemade it possible to stably cultivate this cell line, allowing for its wide application in medicine and biology.
Many years of research on pluripotent ES cells gave
rise to iPS cells.
Isolation of inner cell mass

Division

Division

Kouichi Hasegawa
Program-Specific Research Center
Junior Associate Professor

Fertilized egg

2-cell stage

Blastocyst

Cultivation

ES cells· iPS cells

Stem Cell
Replication(Self-renewal)

The key features of the stem cell include its power to dupli-· ES cells

Differentiation
Differentiating cell

Differentiated cell toform an organ
Differentiation

Skeletal muscle
stem cells
Mesenchymal
stem cells

Prof Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and his colleagues were the first to announce in 2006 the induction of iPS cells from mouse fibroblasts. Pluripotent iPS
cells can be induced from somatic cells (eg, skin andblood cells) by introducing a key set of ES cell genes.
The iPS cell technology can be applied to regenerate
neural, myocardial, and other tissues damaged or lost
because of an illness or accident. In addition, this tech-

nology can be applied to somatic cells taken from a patient with an intractable illness, and then used to reproduce the disease condition in culture dish. Comparison
between diseased and healthy cells may help discover
the pathology and its treatment. Prof Yamanaka was
one of the founding members of iCeMS. After becoming
the CiRA director in 2010, he continued to serve iCeMS
as a Principal Investigator until March 2016.
Reprogramming factor

Somatic cell
Skin cells, blood cells, etc

Cultivation

iPS cells

3Feature : Stem Cell Research and iCeMS

Transdisciplinary Collaboration
iCeMS encourages transdisciplinary research activities, and researchers with different backgrounds enjoy its vibrant and friendly research
culture. Dr Hasegawa works with Dr Kamei and many other experts
in his stem cell research projects. They actively support one another

Stem Cell Researchers at iCeMS
Ken-ichiro
Kamei

Three iCeMS Principal Investigators engaged in stem cellscience tell us about their research interests.

Unlocking the mystery of stem cells
How they remain undifferentiated

Associate Professor

by exchanging input and experimental materials.

Undifferentiated stem cells undergo self-renewal and differenti-？

ation when triggered by external

Collaboration with
Computational Experts

signals, but the mechanism of thissignaling remains unknown.
Our lab is investigating what and？

how external information is transVisiting Prof Atsushi Nakano (cardiophysiology) and Dr Daniel Packwood (appliedgether to understand how the heart develops from the cells in the embryo.
The figure below is like a ‘map’ of the different cells in the heart. Each point corresponds to one cell, and the points areplaced according to their gene expression.

Daniel Packwood
Junior Associate Professor

From this plot, we can identify different types of cells (indicated by thecolors). By determining which of these cell types arise from which partsof the embryo, we can obtain useful insights into heart development.

1

UMAP2

5
0
-5

12

7

11

3
Smooth muscle cells
Blood cells
15(Macrophages)
6
9

8

2
14

-10
-15

5

4

Fibroblasts

013
Cardiomyocytes
16
10 Vascular endothelial cells
-10

-5

0

UMAP1

5

10

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

C O L U M Nmathematics) from iCeMS are working to-10？

mitted to inside of the stem cell

iCeMS Was Founded
by a Stem Cell Pioneer
Prof Norio Nakatsuji is the founding director ofto regulate these processes. Information on this control mechanism

Kouichi
Hasegawa

iCeMS. He was the first to create the simian andhuman ES cell lines in Japan, and establishedthe standard human ES cell culture system. Asa leading pioneer in this field, he advanced ES
cell-based drug and cell therapy research anddevelopment.
When iCeMS was launchedin 2007, Prof Nakatsuji focused on stem cell control using meso-scale(5–100 nm) materials. He
was looking for ways touse novel substances andmaterials that have interesting biological properties.

Norio
NakatsujiiCeMS Founding Director

will shed light on how to maintainstem cells undifferentiated, expand them efficiently and induce
their differentiation to particularcell types of interest.
Basic stem cell research can open
the door to new drugs and othertherapeutics.

？
？
？ ？
？
？ ？

？？

？

Some
？information passes into the cell and con？ ？ ？
？ ？
trols the ？
cell's replica？ ？ ？？ ？？
？ differentiation.
？
tion？
and

Information fromoutside the cell？

However, the detailed
mechanism is unknown.

？
Differentiation

Replication
If we can figure out
this mechanism.....

We should be able to control stem cells……

Differentiate cells into
desired tissues

Maintainundifferentiated cells

An example of applied research!
Developing a low-cost

culturing medium

Culturing iPS and ES cells requires a large
amount of medium. The use of expensive
medium is a bottleneck in the cost of iPS
cell research. We have developed a novel
synthetic medium at a five- to ten-fold lower cost for expanding iPS and ES cells.

Conventional culture methods
50k to 70k yen per 1 literof culture medium

Culture method developed by Dr Hasegawa
8k yen per 1 liter of culture medium

Expensive growth factor protein

Three inexpensive chemical compounds

Cultivation
Human iPS and ES cells

This plot was created with a mathematical procedure called UMAP. The cells
can clearly be categorized into 16 types.

45

Feature : Stem Cell Research and iCeMS

10Interview
MinekoKengaku

Ken-ichiro
Kamei

Professor

Associate Professor

Neural stem celldifferentiation andcontrol ofneuronal migration dynamics
The human brain is a network of billions of communicating neurons that regulate conscious and unconscious behaviors. Neurons
are orderly arranged in the cortex, multilayered cell architecture,
where they establish precise synaptic connections with their specific targets. At our lab we directly observe the brain development
process to elucidate the principle underlying it. The fetal brain
has a layer of proliferating stem cells. These stem cells repeat cell
division and sometimes produce neurons. Neurons leave the germinal layer of proliferating stem cells and migrate through tissues
and stack up to form the cortex.
Abnormal neuronal migration is associated with epilepsy, mental
retardation, ataxia, and other neurological disorders. We reproduce the neuronal migration process on glass plates to analyze
the underlying dynamics.
Neuronal migration andcerebral cortex formation
Neural stem cells (red) proliferate in the subventricular zone and differentiate into neurons(green), part of which migrate to the surface toform the cortex.

Bringing drugs and other medical products to the market requires large capital R&D investments and many
years of research. Before investigational products can be tested in humans, their efficacy and safety must be
evaluated in mice and other lab animals. Since experimental animals often respond differently from humans,
nonclinical data are often insufficient for predicting human responses. Moreover, experimental animal use isa matter of intense debate in terms of animal welfare. The “Body-on-a-Chip (BoC)” device, currently underdevelopment by Dr Ken-ichiro Kamei, is expected to result in a major breakthrough in this regard. This device
is created using iPS cells and microfluidic technologies, paving the way for testing drugs in an ex vivo (outside
the body) environment. The microfluidic chip is a promising tool for personalized medicine.

Reproducing biologicalprocesses on a microchip
Another example of iPS cell technology
Our lab is working on a “Body-on-a-Chip (BoC)” device. This microchip device is designed to simulate biological reactions byencapsulating iPS cells and differentiating them to variety of tissues including liver, heart, and others, and these tissues are connected by vessels similar to human body. iPS cells derived froman individual will enable us to produce tissues in a BoC thatpossess his or her genetic traits.
This BoC, which miniaturizes living organisms' responses, can be
useful for physiological, pathological, and therapeutic studies.

Differentiate into
tissue cells

1
2

iPS cells made fromsomatic cells

Patient

4
5

CP
PP

SP

6

IZ

white matter
preplate stage

26

early cortical plate stage

late cortical plate stage

adult

Ken-ichiro Kamei

iPS cells

3

MZ

Integrating Engineering and
Biology to Create Artificial
Cellular Microenvironments

Connect tissues
with microchannels

Test the effectivenessof a drug

Ken-ichiro Kamei
Born in 1975 in Tokyo. Received PhD
degree in 2003 from the Tokyo Instituteof Technology’s Department of Biological
Information. After serving as a post-doctoral
researcher at the California NanoSystems
Institute of UCLA, he became an assistantprofessor at iCeMS in 2010, and has held his
current position since 2015.

“I recently spent three weeks at the
San Diego Zoo, USA, involved in joint
research on the northern white rhinoceros. The zoo has the last two surviving
individuals in the world. Preserving
endangered species is another important research area of mine,” Kamei
says with a gentle smile. Although hiswords may sound like those of zoological fieldworkers and ecologists, he is anengineer by training.
His BoC device contains iPS
cell-derived heart and liver tissues
that simulate human physiological responses and disease conditions. Pos-

Associate Professor

sible applications include new drug
development and animal preservation.

The size of the chip is 75 x 25 mm. Usinga three-dimensional microfabrication technology developed from their original photolithography technique, Kamei has succeeded
in integrating high-performance valves andmicro-pumps in a chip.

37

The BoC technology can be used tocreate ex vivo models of endangered
species to discover remedies for intractable diseases and other risks facedby 3,000 species that are threatenedwith extinction.

Born with a Passion
for Crafting“I love to create new things, atwork and during my time off. I assembled on my own the laser cutter
machine that was required for the trial production of a new version of the
BoC device. I had the parts shippedfrom manufacturers, and I built themachine in my time off. It was a fantastic way to pass the time,” he says

with a chuckle.
Kamei’s craftsmanship was alreadyvisible as a first grader, when his fatherbought him a plastic Gundam modelkit. He had a deep sense of accomplishment as he admired his completed
handiwork. His interests spread to remodeling radio-controlled toy vehicles
and disassembling clocks. During his
teenage years, he contemplated creating new things on his own. At thattime he dreamed of becoming an aerospace rocket engineer or Formula One
car designer. He wanted to become
one of the professionals who astonished the world with their products.
He chose to join the Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo Insti-

tute of Technology. “I studied bothengineering and biology because I
was interested in artificial and natural systems. As I became involved
in research activities, I enjoyed thetrial-and-error process of making
and testing working hypotheses. I
envisaged becoming an academic
researcher because I valued the freedom of starting from scratch.”

From Basic Biology to Applied Engineering
After completing his doctoral degree, Kamei was accepted as a
postdoctoral fellow at the Universityof California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
“It was a deliberate decision to join a

What’ s good about “Body on a Chip” ?

ArteryPreclinical test
Drug efficacy and toxicity aretested with animals such as
mice or monkeys.

〇

Clinical test
Medicines are administered
to people to test the efficacy
and toxicity.

Problems

・Animal testing is controversial fromanimal welfare and ethical perspectives.

×・Biological structures and physiologicalresponses of mice/monkeys aredifferent from those of humans

Unexpected effects

Test gets cancelled

Improvement ofpreclinical test is essential
to solve the problem.

Vein

Body on a Chip
Organ tissues and circulatory systems derived
from one same person can be installed on a chip.
→If we can do the drug testing with human cells
outside the body, drug development can besmoother, and animals can be saved at thesame time.

laboratory focusing on basic biology.
Although engineering is my strong
suit, I thought that a skill set in basic biology research would enrich myperspective.” He spent day after day
manipulating genes and taking careof genetically engineered mice. He
had much to learn. Hands-on practice handling embryonic stem cells forgenetic modification is one example.
Kamei acquired a significant amountof new knowledge and experience,
which would not have been possible if
he had not joined UCLA.
In his second postdoctoral year,
Kamei had a chance to demonstrate
his expertise and skills. He joined a

project to develop a microfluidic system that generates the positron emission tomography (PET)reagent necessary forcancer diagnostic testing.
“PET can accurately locate malignant cells using
a glucose-like radioactive
tracer. To avoid human radiation exposure, we tried
to produce the tracer auWith a white rhinoceros at San Diego Zoo. Kamei alsostudies endangered species such as zebras or golden
tomatically using a microeagles, collaborating with Kyoto University’s Wildlife Refluidic circuit.” Substantial
search Center.
knowledge of engineeringand biology is required toverify whether the synthesized tracer
He was the first to create a microchip
enters the target cells. “I did my best to
device that simulates interactions beproduce positive results in my research.
tween biological tissues connected byThis project opened a new door in mymicrofluidic circuits — a masterpiece
research path. Since then, I have foresulting from trial and error using iPS
cused on microfluidic devices that encells and high-precision, nano-scale
capsulate functional cells.”
engineering technologies.
Although the device is capable
Harnessing Engineering toofmimickinga complex vasculature,
Serve the Community
Kamei is working to create a model
After returning home in 2010,that more closely simulates humanKamei was accepted as an assistantphysiology. He is searching for ways
professor at iCeMS. He started his
to load the microchip with a large
work on the BoC device in 2012, andnumber of sensors and electrodes.
published his achievements in 2017.
Kamei is convinced that engineering serves the world. “I do not pursue
engineering for the sake of engineering.
Engineers should seek opportunities to
Family time is as important as researchcontribute to the various needs andis. Kamei sometimes goes on trips withhis only daughter and restores his enwell-being of their communities.”
ergy to do research work.

89

The Other Halfof iCeMS
Izumi Mindy Takamiya
Science Communicator & Illustrator
Assistant Professor at Public Engagement Unit

To communicate the significance of nanoscale research at iCeMS, complex ideas need to
be presented in an easy-to-understand and approachable manner. “Creativity is the key inour public relation (PR) activities,” says Mindy Takamiya. Her job is to effectively disseminate
information on scientific research at iCeMS. She writes and creates graphic illustrations toreach a wide audience.

An essential molecular mechanism for regulating segmentation clock synchrony

iCeMS’ science domestically and internationally in many ways:

Press communication

PR publications and promotional goods· Preparing press releases(summaries of research
results) for domestic andoverseas media outlets· Planning brochures and thisnewsletter series· Designing clear folder andhandkerchief based on
scientific research· Interacting with journalists

Website and social media

Face-to-face interactions· Creating or planning visualcontents (illustrations,photos, videos, etc.)· Conducting lab tours open to thegeneral public· Talking to international scientists
for future recruitment· Writing news and following
up responses

Reader-Friendly Writing andIntuitive Illustrations
As I come from a humanities
background, it was challenging forme to understand the world of naturalscience in the early days of my job asa science communicator. Unfamiliar jargon. Realism-oriented three-dimensionalgraphics of cells. Expressions common
for natural scientists were not only difficult to understand for me—in fact, they
were even alienating.
The target recipients of our messages
are not limited to science-savvy people.
I wanted to publicize the significance ofiCeMS’ research and the enthusiasm of
its researchers in a manner that effec-

10
4tively speaks to the general audience,
including those who are unfamiliar with
science. I thought I would be able toexpress science in a way wider rangeof people can feel close to it because I
knew how it feels to think that “science
is not my thing.” That is why I started
hand-drawing illustrations to make scientific news reader-friendly.

Art Goes On

Mission as a “Translator”
My artworks for iCeMS press
releases are receiving positive
feedbacks, and now my efforts to makevisuals to attract a wider audience are
gaining momentum. A variety of activities

Research Highlights
Proper delay in intercellular coupling

Mindy creates illustration artworks to express scientific research, and communicates

Production ofadvertisement media

iCeMS in brief

have been started, such as exhibitions ofscience illustration works and the creation of promotional goods. Moreover, I
receive requests to create illustration art
for scientific journal cover pages, which
is a visual tool to aid academic communication between researchers.
In the six years working at iCeMS, I havegrown my understanding of naturalscience and widened my range of expression. Still, the passion that I had at the
beginning remains the same. Now I understand scientists’ words and feelings, andthose of the general public too. It is likebeing bilingual in two different cultures. I
have found my calling as a translator who
connects science and the rest of society.

A group of researchers led by Prof Ryoichiro Kageyama discovered that a correctly
timed delay in cell-cell coupling signal transmission is essential for synchronizedexpression of segmentation clock genes.
Using Achilles, a new florescent reporter in mouse presomitic mesoderm cells, thisresearch group monitored synchronous oscillations of Hes7 expression at a single-cellresolution. They found that the Notch signaling modulator lunatic fringe (LFNG) delayed
the intercellular signaling process and a correct delay was essential for synchronizedoscillation. Their findings will help elucidate the synchronization mechanisms reported inhumans and many other species.

A new therapeutic molecule that will help
manipulate the genetic switch

Researchers established a way to observe embryonic development insingle live cells, which enabled observing how clock genes work tocontrol dynamics in cells. (Illustration by Mindy Takamiya)

Kumiko Yoshioka-Kobayashi, Marina Matsumiya, Yusuke Niino, Akihiro
Isomura, Hiroshi Kori, Atsushi Miyawaki & Ryoichiro Kageyama (2020).
Coupling delay controls synchronized oscillation in the segmentation
clock. Nature

A promising building block for futurehigh-performance organic photovoltaics

The novel DNA-binding
molecule combines multiple tools into a single
synthetic platform, like achemical Swiss knife. (Illustration by Mindy Takamiya)

The new electron-accepting molecule TACIC
can maintain its excitedstate 50 times longer
than a conventional one.
(Illustration by Mindy
Takamiya)

Dr Ganesh Pandian Namasivayam’s research team synthesized a new,biologically active compound, ePIP-HoGu, which consists of the combination of an epigenetic modulator, DNA-binding pyrrole-imidazole polyamide (PIP), and a “host-guest” unit.
The HoGu moiety acts like a precise linker to the transcription factor,
thereby allowing the PIP-HoGu system to successfully disrupt target genetranscription. The PIP-HoGu system also enables the delivery of the epigenetic drug component in a site-specific manner, suggesting that thisnovel compound will be useful in future biological and medical research.

Adjunct PI Prof Hiroshi Imahori and colleagues created a non-fullerene acceptor (TACIC) film that has an extremely long exciton lifetime.
The TACIC-based photovoltaic device showed a 10% power conversion efficiency.
The newly developed electron-acceptor materials may help overcome the technical challenge of producing nano-scale bicontinuous
donor-acceptor structures. This new discovery marks a step toward
the commercialization of thin-film organic photovoltaics.

Zutao Yu, Mengting Ai, Soumen K. Samanta, Fumitaka Hashiya, Junichi Taniguchi, Sefan
Asamitsu, Shuji Ikeda, Kaori Hashiya, Toshikazu Bando, Ganesh N. Pandian, Lyle Isaacs, andHiroshi Sugiyama (2020) A synthetic transcription factor pair mimic for precise recruitmentof an epigenetic modifier to the targeted DNA locus.Chemical Communications

Tomokazu Umeyama, Kensho Igarashi, Daiki Sasada, Yasunari Tamai, Keiichi Ishida, Tomoyuki
Koganezawa, Shunsuke Ohtani, Kazuo Tanaka, Hideo Ohkita and Hiroshi Imahori(2020)
Efficient light-harvesting, energy migration, and charge transfer by nanographene-based
nonfullerene small-molecule acceptor exhibiting unusually long excited-state lifetime in film
state. Chemical Science

115

iCeMS in brief

What’s new?
ZEISS-iCeMS Innovation Core bioimaging center inaugurated

iCeMS Caravan visits a high school in China

Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH and iCeMS
signed a partnershipagreement to establish
the ZEISS-iCeMS Innovation Core, a bioimaging center focusing on
the application and evaluation of high-resolution
live-imaging fluorescent
microscopy technologies. The inauguration ceremony and founding
symposium were held on October 28, 2019.

On January 9, 2020, iCeMS
researchers visited Northeast Yucai School in Shenyang, China, to conduct
interactive learning workshops. A total of 34 highschool students attended
the program, including several Japanese students from
Okinawa and Kyoto. AfteriCeMS researchers gave scientific lectures, students came up with theirown original research ideas, and gave presentations on them.

Awards◦Dir Susumu Kitagawa selected as 2019 highly cited researcher (Nov 20, 2019)◦Dir Susumu Kitagawa named member of Japan Academy (Dec 12)◦Dr Kaoru Sugimura receives Kyoto University Tachibana Award (Feb 4, 2020)
Activities◦iCeMS holds a mixer with the press (Sept 19, 2019)◦iCeMS tied an MoU with King Abdullah University of Scienceand Technology (Oct 23)◦Delegation from the University of Vienna visits iCeMS (Oct 24–25)◦iCeMS Science Festival held (Nov 8)◦iCeMS Caravan visits a high school in Hokkaido (Nov 30)◦iCeMS holds a joint meeting with NCKU and ASHBi (Dec 16)◦iCeMS and Academia Sinica tie an MoU and hold a joint (Dec 18)◦iCeMS and Kanazawa WPI NanoLSI co-host their first joint
symposium (Jan 23–24, 2020)◦Knowledge Capital Cho-Gakko Series "Print without ink,
but with crack!" (Feb 1)

iCeMS Fund - Help us grow
At iCeMS, researchers from Japan and abroad devote themselves to research both day andnight. Research results may sometime lead to applications, such as saving the lives of those suffering from incurable diseases or improving the global environment 100 years in the future. On theother hand, pure science we do may not be readily understood by people in the early stage. No one
can predict the landscape we will be standing in after our challenges, however, we believe that our
research will steadily advance science.
In order for iCeMS researchers to continue moving forward, it is necessary to establish a stable
fiscal foundation. We appreciate your understanding of the activities and spirit of iCeMS, and we
thank you for your continued support through the iCeMS Fund.
Contact details
Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences
Research Administration Office
Phone: +81-(0)75-753-9749 | E-mail: innovpe@mail2.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Website: u.kyoto-u.jp/kuifiCeMS
Our World, Your Future
Vol.9
2020 March

Editorial note
Stem cell research has been a field of major interest
to iCeMS since its inception. In this issue, Dr
Hasegawa explains how basic research on stem
cells leads to applied science.
The iCeMS frontrunner interviewed this time is Dr
Kamei. Please read how he contributes to the world
with his cutting-edge Body-on-a-Chip technology.
Mindy featured in the Other Half of iCeMS creates
eye and heart catching pictorial illustrations to express iCeMS’ researches. I’m excited to see her future works.
Mari Toyama

Production Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University
Research Administration Office Public Engagement Unit
Mari Toyama, Izumi Mindy Takamiya
Yoshida Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan | Phone: +81-(0)75-753-9753
E-mail: info@icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp | Website: www.icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Facebook:@Kyoto.Univ.iCeMS | Twitter:@iCeMS_KU | Instagram:@iCeMS_KU
Production/cooperation: Kyoto Tsushinsha Press, Design: Nakasone Design