Professor Matsumoto received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo and has established a distinguished career in pancreatic β-cell biology, diabetes research, and regenerative medicine. He is internationally renowned for his pioneering work on direct cell reprogramming to generate functional insulin-producing cells, bridging fundamental discoveries in cell fate regulation with innovative therapeutic applications. His research achievements have been widely recognized through invited and plenary lectures at international conferences, reflecting his contributions to the fields of diabetes and regenerative medicine. He is currently Professor at Juntendo University, where he leads cutting-edge research and education toward the development of next-generation therapies for diabetes and other intractable diseases.

Diabetes is a rapidly growing global health challenge, affecting nearly 600 million adults worldwide, including approximately 2.5 million in Vietnam. Type 1 diabetes (T1D), caused by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β cells, requires lifelong insulin replacement, while current therapies remain limited by difficulties in glucose control, severe hypoglycemia, donor shortage, and immunosuppression. Recent stem cell-derived islet therapies offer new possibilities but still face challenges in engraftment, immune protection, and cost. As an alternative approach, we are developing Direct cell Reprogramming (DR) to generate insulin-producing cells directly from somatic cells without passing through a pluripotent state. This session will discuss emerging strategies toward restoring endogenous insulin production and overcoming the unmet challenges of T1D.