[Regenerative medicine and characteristics of stem cells]

Recently, regenerative medicine has attracted much attention as a newly developed medical technology capable of treating various previously untreatable diseases. Research in this field has been rapidly and competitively conducted, and a large national budget has been disbursed. In particular, great expectations exist for the establishment of iPS cells as a new method that should contribute to regenerative medicine. A new regulatory framework for controlling this new technology is necessary to ensure the efficacy and safety for all people involved, including patients, physicians, and biologic suppliers. An official meeting for the establishment of such a framework was organized by the MHLW between 2009 and 2010. In this article, the discussions held at the meeting and the conclusions that were made are explained. Furthermore, some interesting molecular features of stem cells for regenerative medicine will be introduced.