Kyoto, Japan (September 5, 2009) - The Japanese government has announced 30 projects that were adopted for its new program to support state-of-the-art scientific research, including the one applied by Shinya Yamanaka, director of Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application.

Yamanaka proposed a project to advance iPS cell studies with three goals - global standardization of iPS cell technology, establishment of an iPS cell bank, and preclinical research on diabetes, Parkinson's Disease, myocardial infarction and retinal diseases.

The program, set up by the Cabinet Office of Japan, is designed to support top-level fundamental and application research over the next three to five years in order to maintain global competitiveness and use research results for the benefit of society. Approximately 565 projects were applied for the program by academic and corporate researchers.

"I am very pleased that my project was adopted for the program," Yamanaka said in a statement. "This program offers a mechanism that researchers can concentrate on research by allowing us to use public funds more flexibly and offering a research support team. We would take maximum advantage of this opportunity that this program offers in order to advance iPS cell research and realize cell transplantation in the future."