As the 2024 academic year began, CiRA recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. On April 2, dozens of CiRA members gathered in the auditorium as the annual kick-off meeting was held onsite only for the first time in five years.

Serving his second term as the director of CiRA, Professor Jun Takahashi delivered his message to the members. Talking about CiRA's mission of "Medical application of iPS cells and iPS cell technology" and its four goals for 2030, he said that he would like to create more opportunities to communicate with each member.

"CiRA will continue to be a leader at the forefront of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine to achieve critical milestones such as next-generation iPS cells and combined cell and gene therapy. So, let us work hard cooperatively and challenge each other through friendly competition to do the best science possible," he added.

Jun Takahashi

Jun Takahashi

Newly appointed deputy directors, Professors Koji Eto, Haruhisa Inoue, and Kenji Osafune, as well as CiRA Assistant Director Junya Toguchida also expressed their commitment to working with other CiRA members. In addition, new assistant professors, Drs. Yann Pretemer, Sayaka Deguchi, Yohko Kitagawa, Kyoko Akatsuka, and Ryusaku Matsumoto, were introduced.

Koji Eto

Haruhisa Inoue

Kenji Osafune

Junya Toguchida

Yann Pretemer

Sayaka Deguchi

Yohko Kitagawa

Kyoko Akatsuka