
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.
More episodes of STEM-Talk
- Episode 194: Tommy Wood discusses how to future-proof the adult brain · April 16, 2026 · 1h 56m
- Episode 193: Tommy Wood and his new book bust the belief that the adult brain is fixed · March 23, 2026 · 1h 28m
- Episode 192: Ken and Dawn weigh in on ChatGPT, ketamine, urolithin-A, rapamycin, and more in wide-ranging AMA · March 5, 2026 · 40 min
- Episode 191: Francisco Gonzalez-Lima discusses methylene blue & noninvasive human brain stimulation · February 2, 2026 · 1h 45m
- Episode 190: Judith Curry and the Consequences of Climate Alarmism · January 7, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Episode 189: NASA’s Flawed Plan to Return to the Moon – with Mike Griffin & Lisa Porter · December 11, 2025 · 1h 18m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the STEM-Talk podcast page.