Described here are three-dimensional microenvironment niches prepared from biomaterial compositions that support growth and self renewal of stem cells. The invention also provides methods for inducing pluripotency in a somatic cell using chemical compounds, as well as methods for screening for compounds that can induce pluripotency in a somatic cell.

The present disclosure relates to an Extra Cellular Matrix composition specific for cancer type and a tumor microenvironment platform for long term culturing of tumor tissue, wherein said culturing provides human ligands and tumor tissue micro-environment to mimic physiologically relevant signalling systems. The present disclosure further relates to the development of a Clinical Response Predictor and its application in the prognostic field (selection of treatment option for the patient) and translational biology field (development of anticancer drugs). The disclosure further relates to a method of predicting clinical response of a tumor patient to drug(s). The disclosure further relates to a method for screening tumor cells for the presence of specific markers for determining the viability of said cells for indication of tumor status.

[Problem] An object of the present invention is to produce cancer cell clusters with intrinsic biological properties as cancer tissues, such as morphological polarity and tissue motion polarity, in vitro.

[Solution] The present invention relates to a cell culture substrate including a base material and a biocompatible polymer layer, the substrate including a plurality of rough sections on the surface of the substrate, wherein the rough sections are not covered with the biocompatible polymer layer, have a predetermined surface structure with a predetermined shape, and are disposed at predetermined intervals. With the present invention, it is possible to obtain a live cancer cell aggregate having morphological polarity and tissue motion polarity similar to that observed in vivo, by a very easy operation of culturing cancer cells on a cell culture substrate having a predetermined structure, thereby performing live imaging of microtumors in vitro is enabled, which has been conventionally impossible. Moreover, since such a cancer cell aggregate is considered to reproduce a series of flow of development, proliferation, infiltration, metastasis, and recurrence of cancer in vivo, the cancer cell aggregate can be utilized as a research tool in cancer research, or for screening for an anticancer drug.

The present disclosure relates to an Extra Cellular Matrix composition specific for cancer type and a tumor microenvironment platform for long term culturing of tumor tissue, wherein said culturing provides human ligands and tumor tissue micro-environment to mimic physiologically relevant signalling systems. The present disclosure further relates to the development of a Clinical Response Predictor and its application in the prognostic field (selection of treatment option for the patient) and translational biology field (development of anticancer drugs). The disclosure further relates to a method of predicting clinical response of a tumor patient to drug(s). The disclosure further relates to a method for screening tumor cells for the presence of specific markers for determining the viability of said cells for indication of tumor status.

The present disclosure relates to an Extra Cellular Matrix composition specific for cancer type and a tumor microenvironment platform for long term culturing of tumor tissue, wherein said culturing provides human ligands and tumor tissue micro-environment to mimic physiologically relevant signalling systems. The present disclosure further relates to the development of a Clinical Response Predictor and its application in the prognostic field (selection of treatment option for the patient) and translational biology field (development of anticancer drugs). The disclosure further relates to a method of predicting clinical response of a tumor patient to drug(s). The disclosure further relates to a method for screening tumor cells for the presence of specific markers for determining the viability of said cells for indication of tumor status.

The present disclosure relates generally to ex vivo primary tumor models prepared from fresh tumor tissues which are useful for screening anti-cancer agents. The fresh tumor tissues are prepared and cultured under suitable conditions to grow an outgrowth of endothelial cells Killing of these endothelial cells by a candidate agent indicates the efficacy of the agent in inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.

Provided are a HEK293T cell strain having high dispersibility and a screening method therefor. Specifically, the present application relates to a method for screening a HEK293T cell strain suitable for serum-free suspension culture, a cell strain screened by using the method, and a method for producing a viral vector by using the cell strain.

Described herein is an in vitro genetic rescue assay for identifying a functionally defective DDX41 variant which includes identifying a DEAD-Box Helicase 41 (DDX41) variant of uncertain significance (VUS), infecting a first Ddx41.sup.+/? cell with a retrovirus expressing the DDX41-VUS, infecting a second Ddx41.sup.+/? cell with a retrovirus expressing a wild type control DDX41, growing the first and second infected cells in culture for a period of time and quantitating mRNA expression of a DDX41-regulated transcript in both the first and second infected cells after the period of time, calculating a differential expression of the DDX41-regulated transcript for the first infected cell compared the second infected cell, and identifying the DDX41-VUS as the functionally defective DDX41 variant wherein a change in the differential expression is 1.5-fold or greater. The identified functionally defective DDX41 variants can be used in methods of monitoring a patient for the development/progression of myeloid malignancy.

Provided herein are methods of treating or preventing human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection comprising modulating interactions between the HCMV gH/gL/UL128-131A pentamer and plasma membrane-expressed host cell proteins, as well as methods of identifying modulators of such interactions.

Disclosed are compositions neoantigens and T cell receptors (TCRs) specific for one or more neoantigens as well as methods of their use for treating cancer.