The present invention relates to in vitro methods of enriching populations of human pluripotent stem cells that are induced to differentiate to cardiomyocyte progenitor cells and cardiomyocyte cells. The cell populations can be enriched by isolating cells that express SIRPA. The invention also related to in vitro-enriched populations of cardiomyocyte cells and cardiomyocyte progenitor cells obtained from populations of pluripotent stem.

Provided is a method of inducing oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCS) through direct reprogramming from human somatic cells into which a nucleic acid molecule encoding an Oct4 protein or Oct4 protein-treated human somatic cells. The method of inducing OPCs by treating Oct4-overexpressing human somatic cells with a low molecular weight substance may establish OPCs with high efficiency in a short period of time through direct reprogramming without via neural stem cells, and thus the OPCs are useful as a cell therapeutic agent for an intractable demyelinating disease.

The present invention provides a method for treating human pluripotent cells. In particular, the methods of the invention are directed to the treatment of human pluripotent cells, whereby the human pluripotent cells can be efficiently expanded in culture and differentiated by treating the pluripotent cells with an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3B) enzyme activity.

This document provides methods and materials involved obtaining induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. For example, methods and materials for increasing the efficiency for making iPS cells as well as methods and materials for selecting iPS cells are provided.

Airway stem cells have been implicated in the pathology and progression of chronic airway diseases and yet also hold the promise of physiological and ultimately therapeutic repair of damage wrought by these conditions. The present invention is based on the observation that certain p63-expressing stem cells in the bronchiolar epithelium undergo rapid proliferation after infection and radiate to interbronchiolar regions of alveolar ablation. Once there, these cells assemble into discrete, Krt5+ pods and initiate expression of markers typical of alveoli. The dynamics of this p63-expressing stem cell in lung regeneration mirrors parallel findings that defined pedigrees of human distal airway stem cells assemble alveoli-like structures in vitro and provides new therapeutic avenues to acute and chronic airway disease as well as identifying agents which can promote repair.

The present invention relates to a method for providing a cell population enriched in neurons and/or precursors thereof, comprising the steps of obtaining a cell population comprising neuron precursors, and selecting cells positive indicative of whether a cell has high propensity for developing into a neuron.

Methods for generating high-yield, high-purity cardiac fibroblasts are described. Differentiation methods comprising chemically defined culture conditions and methods for in vitro maintenance of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac fibroblasts are also provided.

Disclosed herein is the finding that Zscan4 is an early embryonic factor that facilitates cellular reprogramming. In particular, Zscan4 can replace the oncogenic reprogramming factor c-Myc to produce induced pluripotent stem cells when co-expressed with Klf4, Oct4 and Sox2. In addition, several Zscan4-dependent genes were identified that promote iPSC formation when co-expressed with known reprogramming factors. Thus, the present disclosure provides an ex vivo method of producing an iPS cell by reprogramming of a somatic cell. The method includes contacting the somatic cell with a Zscan4, or a Zscan4-dependent gene, and at least one reprogramming factor. Also provided are iPS cells produced by the disclosed method and non-human animals generated from such iPS cells.

Embodiments herein include methods for enhancing post-ischemic functional recovery through administration of mitochondria and related devices and methods. In an embodiment, a method for enhancing post-ischemic functional recovery is included. The method can include harvesting somatic cells from a patient or a donor, converting the somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, extracting mitochondria from the induced pluripotent stem cells, and transplanting the mitochondria into the patient. Other embodiments are also included herein.

This invention provides the use of one or more inhibitors reducing the expression or activity of the genes, the genes's RNA, or the genes's encoding proteins to treat the diseases associated with neuronal functional loss or the neuronal death. The genes are selected from: Plpp7, Fam126a, Gprc5c, Tmed4, Tle6, Psmd5, Mastl, Ssr3, Rhoa, Rfx8, Rbm10, Hnrupa3, Prpf6, Pou3f3, Ncoal, Ccdc8, Adck1, Gjb2, Smad9, Nr2e1, Atp10b, Nid1, Tmcc3, Rad21, Amigo1, Cep192, Sepp1, Klf12, Nxf1, Trp53inp2, Phlpp1, Ptpdc1, Pebp1, Gm22174, Gm26117, Mir873a, Mir1900, Gm22414, Khdc4, Hnrnpa0, Hnrnph2, Srrm1, Hnrnpf, Srsf4, Mbnl1, Zbtb42, Kcmf1, Gtf2i, Chgb, Fos, Kat2a, Tsg101, Hmgb4, Junb, Cdx2, Cers2, Rhox6, Thap3, Zscan25.