Staff and specialities

Professor:  Masatsugu EMA
   
Associate Professor, D.V.M., Ph.D.:  Shinichiro NAKAMURA
   Comparative pathology

Outline of the department

Research in this center is mainly focused on the use of non-human primates (NHP)
for human disease model and for the development of cell transplantation 
therapy in regenerative medicine.  Establishment of NHP-stem cells and their
differentiation mechanism are also studied. Other animals and stem cells are
used for comparative study. To pursue our goal, state-of-the-art technology
including cloning, assisted reproduction technology (ART), genetic engineering
of animals and stem cell biology are used. 

The main projects are as follows:
1. Production of SPF monkey by artificial breeding to reduce the risk ofzoonosis.
2. Development of ART, such as IVF, ICSI, and cloning in non-human primates (NHP).
3. Establishment of NHP stem cells, characterization of their differentiation
   potential and genetic modification or gene therapy and regenerative medicine.
4. Production of transgenic monkey as human disease model by nuclear transfer
   of genetically modified monkey ES or somatic cells.
5. Establishment of embryonic stem (ES) cell lines with no or reduced 
   immunogenicity using nuclear transfer of somatic cells.
6. Analysis of gene expression profiles of NHP-ES cells
   and comparison with that of mouse and human ES cell lines.
7. Elucidation of regulative mechanism that maintains pluripotency of
   NHP-ES cells and differentiation mechanisms to establish efficient
   differentiation protocol for cell transplantation therapy.
8. Banking of monkey sperms, oocytes and somatic cells to
   preserve endangered primate species using ART.