Dr. Yamanaka's iPS cell technology holds great long-term expectations for revealing the pathologies of diseases that afflict humans ” like type I diabetes, Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis, among others. Additionally, it offers the hope of providing insights into possible future treatments for diseases that are currently considered incurable, by giving scientists the tools to reprogram cells back to their embryonic state and observe them as they develop in the lab. The iPS cell technology is expected to aid in the screening process for drug discovery and drug toxicity testing, which will allow researchers to identify drugs that have the greatest chance of succeeding and the fewest side effects. Finally, in assessing the most long-term impact, Dr. Yamanaka's work has the potential to expand the future possibilities of regenerative medicine, and the medical sciences overall.

Other 2010 Kyoto Prize Laureates

In addition to Dr. Yamanaka, this year's Kyoto Prize laureates include:

In "Basic Sciences:" Dr. L szl Lov sz (citizenship: Hungary and U.S.), 62, director of the Mathematical Institute at E?¶tv?¶s Lor nd University in Budapest, and president of the International Mathematics Union, who has provided a link among numerous branches of the mathematical sciences in terms of algorithms through his advanced research on discrete structures. In "Arts and Philosophy:" Mr. William Kentridge (citizenship: South Africa), 55, a visual artist from Johannesburg, South Africa, whose wide-ranging activities encompass animation, stage direction and writing.

SOURCE Inamori Foundation