Kyoto University's iPS cell research institute and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said Friday they will launch a 10-year, ¥20 billion joint program to focus on regenerative medicine and drug discovery using iPS cells.

Professor Shinya Yamanaka, a Nobel laureate who heads the Center for iPS Cell Research Application, will direct the program while Takeda provides funding and research facilities.

About 100 researchers equally contributed by the institute and the drugmaker will work on multiple research projects at Takeda's Shonan Research Center in Fujisawa near Tokyo.

Potential initial projects will include heart failure, diabetes mellitus, neuro-psychiatric disorders and cancer immunotherapy, they said.

The findings of the joint research will be released after intellectual property rights are ensured.

Takeda President Christophe Weber said at a news conference in Tokyo he hopes the project will deliver innovative therapies.

Yamanaka said the joint program will be a powerful engine for driving medical applications based on iPS cells.