Mitinori Saitou earns the ISSCR Momentum Award

Skokie, IL–The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) present this year’s ISSCR Momentum Award to Mitinori Saitou, MD, Ph.D., Kyoto University, Japan. The prize recognizes the exceptional achievements of an investigator whose innovative research has established a major area of stem cell-related research with a strong trajectory for future success. The Award will be shared 26 June during the Dissecting Organogenesis Plenary from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at ISSCR 2020 in Boston, Mass., U.S., the world’s leading meeting of global innovators in stem cell science and health.

Dr. Mitinori Saitou has focused his career on understanding mammalian germ cell development in vitro. His laboratory was the first to succeed in reconstituting the mouse germ-cell specification pathway in culture and to generate functional male and female gametes from pluripotent stem cells. Dr. Saitou has since expanded on these groundbreaking achievements by improving germ-cell technology, dissecting the molecular mechanisms, and providing fundamental insights on human germ cell development and reproduction.

“Mitinori Saitou’s pivotal science has contributed to new understanding within human germ development and reproduction and has the potential to change the lives of so many across the world who are coping with infertility,” said Deepak Srivastava, ISSCR President. “It is also exciting to see his work yield new exploration into the reproduction of endangered and extinct species that has the potential to help restore greater balance to our ecosystem. On behalf of the Society, I am thrilled to recognize Dr. Saitou’s passion for scientific discovery and to celebrate his extensive achievements with this award,” said Srivastava.

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Award-winner biographies and photos are available upon request, as are interviews with ISSCR President Deepak Srivastava.

About the International Society for Stem Cell Research

With nearly 4,000 members from more than 60 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.

Additional information about stem cell science is available at A Closer Look at Stem Cells, an initiative of the Society to inform the public about stem cell research and its potential to improve human health.

About Kyoto University

Kyoto University is one of Japan and Asia’s premier research institutions, founded in 1897 and responsible for producing numerous Nobel laureates and winners of other prestigious international prizes. A broad curriculum across the arts and sciences at both undergraduate and graduate levels is complemented by numerous research centers, as well as facilities and offices around Japan and the world. For more information please see:

http://www.

kyoto-u.

ac.

jp/

en