My name is Toshihiro Ishikiriyama, President and Representative Director of the Rege Nephro Co., Ltd.

Regenerative medicine using iPS cells is the first technology of its kind in Japan and can renew degenerating organs that could not be otherwise done before.

We are working on kidneys.

The kidney, which is naturally a non-regenerative organ, is being regenerated using iPS cells, something we think is a miracle.

The closest we have come to a clinical approach is to create kidney-like cells from human iPS cells and transplant them into diseased kidneys so that the kidneys can become healthy again.

The first person in the world to produce these kidney-derived cells is our scientific advisor, Professor Kenji Osafune of CiRA.

When I heard about Professor Osfune's passion for kidney disease patients, I decided that I wanted to help him.

I had been working in management in the pharmaceutical industry for many years.

This work has been very good to me, and I wanted to give back to society by commercializing his research.

Like many people, I had a close colleague with kidney disease receiving dialysis treatment.

These patients must spend long hours in hospital beds three times a week, which is very hard on their bodies.

All of us are doing our best to help patients who are suffering.

I LOVE iPS.