Teruo Okano

About

Teruo Okano is a pioneering figure in regenerative medicine, best known for developing cell sheet technology—a revolutionary approach that enables the fabrication of functional tissue-like structures without the need for scaffolds. His work centers on biofabrication, automated cell culture systems, and tissue engineering, with a particular focus on creating transplantable tissues that preserve cell-cell junctions and native extracellular environments. Okano’s most cited paper, “Cell sheet technology and cell patterning for biofabrication” (2009, 85 citations), lays the foundation for this field, while his subsequent studies on automated cell sheet manipulation (2013, 72 citations) and corneal regeneration using cultured epithelial sheets (2013, 53 citations) demonstrate the clinical translation of his methods. His forward-looking perspective, captured in “Grand Espoir: Robotics in Regenerative Medicine” (2007), envisions robotics-driven automation to reduce manufacturing costs and scale tissue production. With hundreds of citations across his portfolio, Okano’s contributions have profoundly influenced tissue engineering, offering scalable, scaffold-free solutions for organ repair and regeneration. His work continues to inspire researchers aiming to bridge laboratory innovation and clinical application.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Cell sheet technology and cell patterning for biofabrication

   85 citations · 2009
2. 2
   Automatic fabrication of 3-dimensional tissues using cell sheet manipulator technique

   72 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Corneal regeneration by transplantation of corneal epithelial cell sheets fabricated with automated cell culture system in rabbit model

   53 citations · 2013
4. 4
   Grand Espoir: Robotics in Regenerative Medicine

   7 citations · 2007

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links