Researcher
Shinya Yamanaka
Last updated Sat May 30 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Background
Shinya Yamanaka is Professor at Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes (UCSF affiliate), and 2012 Nobel laureate.
Key contribution
In 2006 Yamanaka’s lab demonstrated that introducing four transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc — "OSKM") into adult fibroblasts could reprogramme them into pluripotent stem cells. This discovery:
- Eliminated the need for embryonic stem cells in many research contexts.
- Created a path to patient-specific stem cells for regenerative medicine.
- Launched the partial reprogramming field within geroscience — if full reprogramming can reset cellular age, partial doses might rejuvenate without losing cell identity.
Aging connection
Although Yamanaka himself focuses on regenerative medicine (iPSC for disease modelling and therapy), his factors are at the centre of the modern longevity-biotech wave: Altos Labs, NewLimit, Retro Biosciences, Turn.bio all build on partial-OSKM rejuvenation strategies.
Recent
Joined Altos Labs in 2022 as Senior Scientific Advisor.
Related entries
Partial reprogramming, Information theory of aging, Altos Labs, Epigenetic alterations.
References
- Takahashi, K. & Yamanaka, S. Induction of pluripotent stem cells from mouse embryonic and adult fibroblast cultures. Cell 126, 663–676 (2006).