The present invention relates to a method of enhancing growth conditions for plants by growing the plants in soil containing, in proximity to the plant roots, both a phosphorus source and at least two strains of the fungus Penicillium, particularly P. bilaiae, more particularly strains NRRL 50162 and NRRL 50169.

The present invention provides polymers for use in preventing damage to the membranes of cells in fat grafts. Mixing of a triblock copolymer such as poloxymer P188 with adipocytes or adipose tissue to be transplanted into a subject is thought to stabilize the membranes of the cells leading to more successful fat transplantation in soft tissue reconstruction or augmentation. Such methods may also be used in the transplantation of adult stem cells or other cells derived from fat tissue. Other agents such as lipoic acid may also be added to the polymer/cell compositions for cell transplantation.

The present invention relates to formulations and methods for stabilizing and protecting of biologic materials during harsh storing and use conditions, wherein the formulations relate to embedded bioactive materials and biologics, including live bacteria, in a protective glassy matrix.

The vast differentiation potential of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, including their potential to cascade through all of the somatic cell lineages and to display the complete transcriptional regulatory network of human biology, has generated interest in deriving scalable, purified, and identified cell types and methods of discovering the precise structure of the human regulatory network. However, the innate capacity of pluripotent cells to display all these lineages is not necessarily reflected during their culture in vitro. The clonal isolation and propagation of progenitors greatly facilitates the generation of highly purified and identified formulations for research and therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, other cell types have yet to be isolated and propagated from normal cells and methods of isolating said novel cell types as well as methods for introducing perturbations into the transcriptional regulatory network in order to construct a computer model of the entire human transcriptional regulatory network would greatly benefit basic research as well as manufacturing technology for cell-based therapies.

The disclosure relates to methods for the screening, identification, and/or application of one or more microorganisms of use in imparting one or more beneficial properties to one or more plants.

The disclosure relates to methods for the screening, identification, and/or application of one or more microorganisms of use in imparting one or more beneficial properties to one or more plants.

The application relates to compositions for enhancing plant growth, comprising at least one lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO) compound; and one beneficial microorganism selected from Streptomyces, Trichoderma or Bacillus and optionally further pesticide and to the methods for enhancing plant growth and treating seeds with said compositions.

The disclosure provides materials and methods for conferring improved plant traits or benefits on plants. The materials can include a formulation comprising an exogenous endophytic bacterial population, which can be disposed on an exterior surface of a seed or seedling, typically in an amount effective to colonize the plant. The formulations can include at least one member selected from the group consisting of an agriculturally compatible carrier, a tackifier, a microbial stabilizer, a fungicide, an antibacterial agent, an herbicide, a nematicide, an insecticide, a plant growth regulator, a rodenticide, and a nutrient.

A method of increasing drought resistance of a plant, the method comprising applying a Bacillus methylotrophicus or a composition thereof (i) to the plant or to a part of the plant; and/or (ii) to an area around the plant or plant part, in an amount effective to produce an increased drought resistance in the plant as compared to the drought stress resistance of the plant in the absence of said application of Bacillus methylotrophicus or composition, is described. A biologically pure culture of a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase deficient Bacillus methylotrophicus bacterium strain, or a mutant thereof able to induce drought resistance in a plant are also described.

The invention relates to modified HPV particles that can be used therapeutically. Modified HPV particles may be used to deliver therapeutic agents, including siRNA molecules. Modified HPV particles may be used for the treatment of diseases or conditions of mucosal tissue, including HPV (human papilloma virus) infection and HPV-related tumors.