Latest discovery ‘bowled over' Japanese researcher
Latest discovery ‘bowled over' Japanese researcher

TOKYO — Shinya Yamanaka dreamed of becoming a doctor for a simple reason: He used to get hurt a lot.

"I was always playing sports like judo and rugby, and I was always getting injured,” Yamanaka said. "There was an orthopedist who was very kind and helpful to me, so I thought I'd like to become one, too.”

That youthful dream led to a career that has made the 45-year-old Kyoto University professor one of the world's leading stem cell scientists.

Yamanaka first made waves with a landmark paper last year that detailed how he slipped four genes into mouse skin cells, enabling the altered cells to behave much like embryonic stem cells in lab tests.

"I was surprised when we achieved our results with the mouse,” Yamanaka said, "but proving what we could do with human cells really bowled me over."

Yamanaka said his method has the advantage of being relatively easy and inexpensive to duplicate, especially since the cells can be obtained so easily.

After completing his residency in orthopedic surgery, Yamanaka headed to the University of California, San Francisco, to do postdoctoral studies that laid the groundwork for his current research.

In 1996, he returned to Japan, taking up a series of university teaching and research posts culminating in his current position in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto.

Stem cell research isn't the only item on Yamanaka's agenda. Though his rugby playing days are past, he still enjoys jogging, swimming and watching his two teenage daughters grow up.

He has also been making regular trips back to UCSF. Last summer, he renewed his ties with the university, but as titled researcher in stem cell biology and professor of anatomy.

The city by the bay is full of fond memories for Yamanaka, both for the opportunities he had to work at the university and the physical environment.

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