Japan OKs retinal cell transplant using others’ iPS cells

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Wednesday approved transplant of retinal cells to treat patients using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from another person. According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, the the application was filed in October last year by Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, the government-backed Riken institute in Kobe, Kyoto University and Osaka University.