Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka has revealed that a project to stockpile artificially derived stem cells for clinical research will start in early February.

The project is intended to create induced pluripotent stem cells from the blood of people with rare cell forms, known as the HLA type, that are less prone to rejection by the immune system when transplanted.

The cells will be stockpiled for immediate use, saving considerable time and money that would otherwise be needed to create iPS cells from cells from the patient.