Dr. Gilbert Hosts: Stem Cells & Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) involves the loss of critical nerve cells in the brain – so replacing those missing neurons seems like an obvious solution! However, research into effective cell-replacement therapies for PD, typically using stem cells, has been a slow and challenging journey. But the tide is turning! There have been several recent breakthroughs in this field, with exciting clinical trials that have been completed or are currently underway, bringing fresh momentum and real optimism to the field.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Dr. Jun Takahashi, MD, PhD
Dr. Jun Takahashi is the Director and Professor at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, Japan. He earned his medical degree from Kyoto University in 1986 and began his career as a neurosurgeon at Kyoto University Hospital. After completing his PhD at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute in California, USA, under Dr. Fred Gage, where he initiated his work on neural stem cells. In 2010, he joined CiRA as a founding member and became a full professor in 2012, focusing on the development of stem cell-based therapies. As a physician-scientist, he has been at the forefront of translating iPS cell research into clinical applications, leading the world’s first clinical trial using iPS cells for Parkinson’s disease from 2018 to 2023. Since then, he has continued to lead CiRA’s activities as its director, driving advancements in regenerative medicine and iPS cell-based therapies.
Dr. Claire Henchcliffe, MD, DPhil
Dr. Claire Henchcliffe is the Stanley van den Noort Chair and Professor of Neurology, University of California, Irvine (UCI). With undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Oxford and University of California at Berkeley, she completed her neurology residency and movement disorder fellowship at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York. She went on to serve as faculty and Vice Chair for Clinical Research at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, where her interest in clinical trials and cell the