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Date: 10 Nov 2025 (Monday)
Time: 11am - 12:30pm (SGT) Format: Virtual (Zoom Meeting) Hosts: Shigeru MIYAGAWA, Osaka University, Japan (JSRM) Jaecheol LEE, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea (KSSCR) |
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Speakers' information
Shugo TOHYAMA Fujita Health University, Japan "Metabolism-based cardiomyocytes production systems from human iPSCs for regenerative therapy and disease modeling" Pubmed |
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ABSTRACT
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are potentially promising cell sources for regenerative therapy and drug discovery. However, there are no methods to purify hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) from hiPSC-derived mixed populations.
To solve this, we previously developed an innovative method for efficiently eliminating residual undifferentiated hiPSCs and non-CMs and producing a large number of highly purified hiPSC-CMs based on glucose and glutamine metabolism (Cell Stem Cell 2013, Cell Metabolism 2016). We also designed metabolism-based methods for the selective elimination of hiPSCs (iScience 2020), enhancing the proliferation of hiPSCs (iScience 2021), and promoting cardiac differentiation from hiPSCs (iScience 2025).
We also developed the production systems of hiPSC-derived cardiac organoids and tissues for regenerative therapy and drug discovery (Cell Rep Methods 2023, Biomaterials 2023, Adv Sci 2023). Transplanted hiPSC-derived cardiac spheroids efficiently engrafted and matured over time (iScience 2024). Furthermore, cardiac function in monkey myocardial infarction models was significantly improved without severe post-transplant ventricular arrhythmias (Circulation 2024). Our developed technologies will facilitate the clinical application of hiPSC-based regenerative therapy and drug discovery.
BIO
Shugo Tohyama is a Professor of Fujita Medical Innovation Center, Fujita Health University in Tokyo. He graduated from Keio University School of Medicine, and got his M.D. in 2006. After completing the residency program, he has started the basic researches using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a graduate student at the Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine since 2008, and finished his Ph.D. in 2013. Then, he had a position as a Ph.D. research fellow in Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He was promoted to a professor at Fujita Health University in 2024. He specializes in cardiology and regenerative medicine and is also involved in basic and translational research focused on cardiac regenerative medicine. While many challenges need to be overcome to realize regenerative medicine, he has been working to solve them with his creative approach based on the metabolic mechanism of iPSCs. He also focuses on drug discovery and disease modeling.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are potentially promising cell sources for regenerative therapy and drug discovery. However, there are no methods to purify hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) from hiPSC-derived mixed populations.
To solve this, we previously developed an innovative method for efficiently eliminating residual undifferentiated hiPSCs and non-CMs and producing a large number of highly purified hiPSC-CMs based on glucose and glutamine metabolism (Cell Stem Cell 2013, Cell Metabolism 2016). We also designed metabolism-based methods for the selective elimination of hiPSCs (iScience 2020), enhancing the proliferation of hiPSCs (iScience 2021), and promoting cardiac differentiation from hiPSCs (iScience 2025).
We also developed the production systems of hiPSC-derived cardiac organoids and tissues for regenerative therapy and drug discovery (Cell Rep Methods 2023, Biomaterials 2023, Adv Sci 2023). Transplanted hiPSC-derived cardiac spheroids efficiently engrafted and matured over time (iScience 2024). Furthermore, cardiac function in monkey myocardial infarction models was significantly improved without severe post-transplant ventricular arrhythmias (Circulation 2024). Our developed technologies will facilitate the clinical application of hiPSC-based regenerative therapy and drug discovery.
BIO
Shugo Tohyama is a Professor of Fujita Medical Innovation Center, Fujita Health University in Tokyo. He graduated from Keio University School of Medicine, and got his M.D. in 2006. After completing the residency program, he has started the basic researches using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a graduate student at the Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine since 2008, and finished his Ph.D. in 2013. Then, he had a position as a Ph.D. research fellow in Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He was promoted to a professor at Fujita Health University in 2024. He specializes in cardiology and regenerative medicine and is also involved in basic and translational research focused on cardiac regenerative medicine. While many challenges need to be overcome to realize regenerative medicine, he has been working to solve them with his creative approach based on the metabolic mechanism of iPSCs. He also focuses on drug discovery and disease modeling.
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Soah LEE
Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University "Advancing cardiac tissue engineering using iPSC and bioprinting technologies" Pubmed |
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ABSTRACT
Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) hold great promise as a cell source for personalized cardiac tissue engineering. Successful construction of functional cardiac tissue requires hundreds of millions to billions of cardiomyocytes, yet their proliferative capacity declines sharply after terminal differentiation. In the first part of my talk, I will present our recent findings on the contact-mediated inhibitory mechanisms that limit cardiomyocyte proliferation and how these molecular insights can be leveraged to promote in situ expansion of hiPSC-CMs within 3D environments. Building on this foundation, the next challenge lies in assembling these cells into physiologically relevant tissue architectures. Conventional approaches often fall short in recapitulating the structural complexity and reproducibility required for advanced cardiac models. In the second part of my talk, I will introduce our recent advances in applying 3D bioprinting technologies to address these limitations and to create next-generation cardiac models with improved structural and functional fidelity.
BIO
Soah Lee is an Assistant Professor at the School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University. She earned her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University under Dr. Fan Yang, and completed her postdoctoral training at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute with Dr. Sean Wu. Her research focuses on developing next-generation iPSC-based cardiac models using bioprinting and organoid technologies, with applications in disease modeling and drug discovery. Dr. Lee has received numerous awards, including the NIH F32 fellowship and the AHA BCVS Young Investigator Award, and currently serves on the Editorial Board of Circulation Research. She has published in leading journals such as Cell Stem Cell, Circulation, PNAS, and Biomaterials, advancing the field of regenerative medicine and organoid engineering.
Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) hold great promise as a cell source for personalized cardiac tissue engineering. Successful construction of functional cardiac tissue requires hundreds of millions to billions of cardiomyocytes, yet their proliferative capacity declines sharply after terminal differentiation. In the first part of my talk, I will present our recent findings on the contact-mediated inhibitory mechanisms that limit cardiomyocyte proliferation and how these molecular insights can be leveraged to promote in situ expansion of hiPSC-CMs within 3D environments. Building on this foundation, the next challenge lies in assembling these cells into physiologically relevant tissue architectures. Conventional approaches often fall short in recapitulating the structural complexity and reproducibility required for advanced cardiac models. In the second part of my talk, I will introduce our recent advances in applying 3D bioprinting technologies to address these limitations and to create next-generation cardiac models with improved structural and functional fidelity.
BIO
Soah Lee is an Assistant Professor at the School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University. She earned her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University under Dr. Fan Yang, and completed her postdoctoral training at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute with Dr. Sean Wu. Her research focuses on developing next-generation iPSC-based cardiac models using bioprinting and organoid technologies, with applications in disease modeling and drug discovery. Dr. Lee has received numerous awards, including the NIH F32 fellowship and the AHA BCVS Young Investigator Award, and currently serves on the Editorial Board of Circulation Research. She has published in leading journals such as Cell Stem Cell, Circulation, PNAS, and Biomaterials, advancing the field of regenerative medicine and organoid engineering.