齊一生物小編報道：

日本讀賣新聞zui近刊登了一篇新聞稱，中國科學(xué)界在干細胞研究領(lǐng)域發(fā)表的論文數(shù)已經(jīng)超過了日本，而這一領(lǐng)域一直被認為是解決一些醫(yī)學(xué)重大難題如神經(jīng)退行性疾病藥物研發(fā)的突破點。這也使得中國在該領(lǐng)域發(fā)表的論文總數(shù)量一躍升至第二位。目前在干細胞研究領(lǐng)域發(fā)表論文數(shù)zui多的前三個國家依次是美國、中國和日本。據(jù)日本媒體報道，近年來中國在干細胞研究領(lǐng)域的各個方面都取得了長足的進步，這一進步也直接體現(xiàn)在發(fā)表論文數(shù)上，而反觀日本學(xué)術(shù)界，近年來在該領(lǐng)域取得的成績就顯得乏善可陳，除了在人工誘導(dǎo)多能干細胞（iPS）領(lǐng)域占據(jù)優(yōu)勢以外，在其他干細胞研究領(lǐng)域的進步都十分緩慢。

這一結(jié)論是日本媒體分析了2008年-2012年發(fā)表的超過17500篇干細胞領(lǐng)域相關(guān)論文后得出的，在這些研究中，來自美國研究機構(gòu)的成果多達5129項，而中國和日本分別發(fā)表了1640和1350篇論文。而在2004年-2009年之間，日本的成果數(shù)則位居第二。

同時日本媒體還統(tǒng)計了在干細胞領(lǐng)域取得成績zui顯著的前50家大學(xué)和研究機構(gòu)。其中美國的研究機構(gòu)幾乎占據(jù)了這份榜單的半壁江山，而加州大學(xué)和斯坦福大學(xué)則分居冠亞軍，傲視群雄。而日本則共有5家研究機構(gòu)上榜，其中京都大學(xué)位居第六位、東京大學(xué)位居第十四位。而中國則有七家科研單位上榜，其中以位居第十一位的中山大學(xué)*。

一直以來，日本在iPS領(lǐng)域都享有盛名，2012年山中伸彌就因為在該領(lǐng)域出色的研究而與英國的約翰戈登分享了諾貝爾生理學(xué)獎。然而，zui近因為小保方晴子等人在Nature上發(fā)表的研究成果涉嫌造假，也為日本的iPS乃至整個干細胞研究都蒙上了一層陰影。而事件的另一重要人物小保方晴子的導(dǎo)師，科學(xué)家笹井芳樹的自殺也為這一事件蒙上了一層悲劇色彩。

不過，盡管近年來中國學(xué)術(shù)界在干細胞研究領(lǐng)域取得了一定的進展，但這卻不是我們沾沾自喜的時候，一方面是我們距離前面的美國仍有很大距離，另一方面我們必須正視在這一領(lǐng)域，中國的科學(xué)家并沒有多少重量級的研究成果。因此，在這一領(lǐng)域中，中國學(xué)術(shù)界仍然是任重道遠。

詳細英文報道：

Japan fell below China in the number of articles published on stem cells, which are expected to lead to the practical realization of regenerative medicine treatments and products, slipping from second to third place, according to a survey report by the Japan Patent Office.

Amid increasingly fierce international competition in stem cell research, the United States, which tops the list, and China saw a steady increase in the number of articles in a wide range of research areas, while the number of articles in Japan grew at a sluggish pace in research areas other than induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, according to the report.

The office analyzed about 17,500 articles related to stem cell research published from 2008 to 2012 by using a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, in which medical papers from around the world are registered. Concerning the nationalities of the institutions to which the lead authors of the articles belonged, the United States came in first place, as the lead authors of 5,129 articles belonged to U.S. institutions. China came in second by increasing its number from the previous period to 1,640, and Japan placed third with 1,350.

In the previous survey covering the period from 2004 to 2009, Japan came in second place, but in the latest survey, Japan was overtaken by China, which had placed fourth in the previous survey.

By research institution, the University of California topped the list, followed by Stanford University, as institutions in the United States accounted for half of the top 50. For Japan, five research institutions were in the top 50, such as Kyoto University in sixth place and the University of Tokyo in 14th. However, Japan was outnumbered by China, as seven Chinese institutions were within the top 50, led by Sun Yat-sen University in 11th place.

By area of research, the number of articles on iPS cells in Japan increased 11 times over the period from 2008 to 2012. But the number of articles on mesenchymal stem cells, which can develop into bones or cardiac muscles, increased from 1.4 times to 2.5 times in Europe, the United States and China, while the figure in Japan remained flat.