Member Spotlight: Yasuhiro Takashima, MD, PhD

Yasuhiro Takashima, MD, PhD
Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Japan

Hometown
Himeji, Japan

Current Residence
Kyoto, Japan

Graduate Degree
MD, PhD, Kobe University, Japan

Postdoc Work
I worked in the Austin Smith Lab at the University of Cambridge, UK, focusing on establishing naïve human pluripotent stem cells.

Current Position
Professor, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Japan

ISSCR Participation
Speaker at the iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium: 20 Years of iPSC Discovery: A Celebration and Vision for the Future

• What is the current focus of your research?

  I focus on early human development and regenerative medicine using naïve pluripotent stem cells. I also aim to understand tissue stem cells and restore the functions of aging or damaged tissues and organs.

• How would you explain the significance of this work to a lay audience?

  My work aims to understand and regulate stem cells to promote human health.

• What do you find most rewarding about your work?

  I may witness something that no one has ever seen before.

• What led you to become a scientist and to stem cell research?

  I felt that the field of stem cells was like a blank canvas—full of unknowns and unanswered questions to explore.

  I also wondered whether regulating stem cells could help improve human health.

• What guidance would you share in talking with trainees interested in pursuing your area of research?

  Please take on bold and challenging questions.

• Do you have any mentors or individuals who have inspired you in your stem cell work?

  Yes, I am very fortunate to have had great mentors who guided me throughout my career:

  • Masato Kasuga, Kobe University (during my time as a medical doctor)

  • Shin-Ichi Nishikawa, RIKEN CDB (during my PhD)

  • Austin Smith, University of Cambridge (during my postdoc)

  • Shinya Yamanaka, Kyoto University CiRA (during my early PI years)

  They each taught me how to think about science, its excitement, the attitude of a scientist, and the meaning of being a researcher. Thanks to them, I am who I am today.

• How do you spend your free time?

  I enjoy exercising with my family—playing baseball, hiking, and skiing in the winter. I hope to go skiing several times this season as well.

• What is something your peers would be surprised to learn about you?

  That I truly enjoy caring for patients and practicing medicine as a clinician.

• What do you most value about your membership with the ISSCR?

  The connections. It allows me to build friendships with stem cell researchers from around the world.