CiRA is pleased to announce that Professor Koji Eto, current Deputy Director and Head of the Department of Clinical Application, has been elected as the next Director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) by its Faculty Council.

As the term of the current Director, Professor Jun Takahashi, will end on March 31, 2026, a vote was held during the Faculty Council meeting on November 20 in accordance with CiRA's internal regulations for selecting the director post. Professor Eto received a majority of the votes and was elected as the next Director. His term will run from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028. Professor Takahashi has served as Director for two terms (four years) since 2022.

Professor Eto joined CiRA as a professor in 2011 and has been advancing research and development aimed at creating an efficient culture system for producing blood cells from human iPS cells and realizing next-generation transfusion products (genetically engineered iPS-derived platelets). In 2020, he conducted the world's first clinical study of autologous iPSC-derived platelet transfusion into a patient with platelet transfusion refractoriness. He also served as a Deputy Director previously, from FY 2016 to FY 2017, and again from FY 2024 to the present.

In response to the decision, CiRA Director Takahashi said, "Since succeeding Professor Shinya Yamanaka in FY2022, I have devoted myself to directing CiRA. I am deeply grateful to all the faculty and staff who have supported me during this time. Professor Eto, who has been elected as the next Director, brings extensive experience and outstanding research achievements. He is well-versed in institutional management, currently serving as a Deputy Director and Head of the Department of Clinical Application. I believe he is highly suited as a CiRA Director. As for myself, I will continue to contribute to the further development of the institute as a principal investigator."

Incoming Director Eto commented, "I am truly honored to be elected as the next Director, and at the same time, I feel a great sense of responsibility. I wish to express my deepest respect for the efforts of Director Emeritus Shinya Yamanaka and Director Jun Takahashi, who have led the institute thus far. I hope to work with the younger generation of researchers to determine how best to leverage CiRA's accumulated research achievements and connect them to future progress. I sincerely ask for everyone's continued support."