Keio University Venture Improves Cardiac Function with Cardiomyocytes made from iPS Cells

Recent NHK News on-line reported the following:

“iPS細胞から作った心筋球で心機能改善” 慶応大発ベンチャー

2025年12月16日午後8時46分

iPS細胞

iPS細胞から作った心臓の筋肉の細胞を心不全の患者に移植したところ、心機能に改善が見られたとする治験の結果を、慶応大学発のベンチャー企業が発表しました。

慶応大学発のベンチャー企業「ハートシード」は、重い心不全の患者10人の心臓に、iPS細胞から作った心臓の筋肉の細胞のかたまり「心筋球」を注射で移植する治験を進めてきました。

5000万個から1億5000万個の細胞を心臓の血流を改善するための手術とあわせて移植し、半年以上たった時点で心機能の変化などを解析しました。

その結果、このうち8人は血液を送り出す心機能の数値が改善したほか、7人は階段を上るときなどに見られたどうきや息切れなどの症状がなくなり、6分間に歩ける距離が150メートルから500メートルに延びた人もいたということです。

重い副作用はなく、手術の影響が及ばない部分の心筋の動きにも改善が見られたとして、企業は今回のデータをもとに、来年の夏にも国への承認申請を目指すとしています。

この企業の社長で慶応大学の福田恵一名誉教授は「移植する細胞の数が多いほうが改善する傾向が見られた。多くの患者にこの治療を届けたい」と話していました。

iPS細胞をめぐっては、ことしに入り心臓病とパーキンソン病の治療で国に承認申請が行われるなど、実用化を目指す動きが相次いでいます。

Translation

Keio University Venture Improves Cardiac Function with  Cardiomyocytes made from iPS Cells

A Keio University (慶応大学) based venture company announced the results of a clinical trial showing that transplanting cardiac muscle cells created from iPS cells into patients with heart failure had improved their cardiac function.

HeartSeed, a Keio University-based venture company, had been conducting clinical trials to inject "cardiospheric cell clusters" (cardiac muscle cells created from iPS cells) into the hearts of 10 patients with severe heart failure.

Between 50 million and 150 million cells along were transplanted in conjunction with surgery to improve blood flow to the heart, then after over six months changes in cardiac function were analyzed.

The result was that eight of the patients experienced improvements in their cardiac pumping function, 7 people no longer experienced symptoms such as palpitations or shortness of breath when climbing stairs, and some patients even increased their six-minute walking distance from 150 meters to 500 meters.

There were no serious side effects and the surgery showed improvement in the function of myocardium in areas not affected by the surgery, the company aimed to apply for approval from the national government next summer.

The company's president and Keio University professor emeritus Keiichi Fukuda (福田恵一) said, "We observe a tendency for the more cells transplanted the better. We would like to make this treatment available to many patients."

There had been a series of movements in putting iPS cells to practical use, including applications for national approval this year for the treatment of heart disease and Parkinson's disease.

              So, Japan has announced the results of a clinical trial showing that transplanting cardiac muscle cells created from iPS cells into patients with heart failure could improve the cardiac function. Apparent, Japan is quietly making some improvements in using iPS cells to improve conditions of patients, from problems in the eye to the heart. It has already built an iPS cells bank that can help make iPS cell available quickly and economically. I am expecting more good news in this respect.