Episode 186: Mari Dezawa discusses her discovery of MUSE cells and the role of stem cells in regenerative medicine

Episode 186: Mari Dezawa discusses her discovery of MUSE cells and the role of stem cells in regenerative medicine

From STEM-Talk by Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford

September 4, 2025 · 47 min · Season 9 · Episode 186

About this episode

Dr. Mari Dezawa discusses her groundbreaking discovery of MUSE cells and their potential in regenerative medicine.

Today we have Dr. Mari Dezawa, one of the world’s leaders in stem-cell research and regenerative medicine. Mari is a pioneer in this emerging field and is known worldwide for her discovery of MUSE cells, a unique type of stem cell with exciting clinical potential. MUSE is short for Multilineage-Differentiating Stress-Enduring Cells. The discovery of the MUSE cell in humans has many biological and medical implications, and the human body may have a greater regenerative potential than we might have ever imagined. In collaboration with major national and international institutions, Mari and her colleagues are promoting research on MUSE cell-based regenerative medicine for diseases without definitive treatments. She and her team are also exploring the differences in regenerative capacity between less and more complex animals from the viewpoint of the stem-cell system. Mari is a professor and chair of the Division of Stem Cell Biology and Histology at Tohoku University School of Medicine. She has published more than 200 papers and is particularly known for her 2010 paper on the mechanisms of MUSE cells. In 2018, she was appointed a fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors and…

People in this episode

Host: Ken

Guest: Dr Mari Dezawa

Topics covered

  • MUSE cells
  • stem cells
  • regenerative medicine
  • biological implications
  • medical implications

Keywords

  • stem-cell research
  • regenerative capacity
  • clinical potential
  • Tohoku University

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Ph, Phagocytosing Differentiated Cell-Fragments

Places: Japan, U.S.

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