Sub-millimeter scale three-dimensional (3D) structures are disclosed with customizable chemical properties and/or functionality. The 3D structures are referred to as drop-carrier particles. The drop-carrier particles allow the selective association of one solution (i.e., a dispersed phased) with an interior portion of each of the drop-carrier particles, while a second non-miscible solution (i.e., a continuous phase) associates with an exterior portion of each of the drop-carrier particles due to the specific chemical and/or physical properties of the interior and exterior regions of the drop-carrier particles. The combined drop-carrier particle with the dispersed phase contained therein is referred to as a particle-drop. The selective association results in compartmentalization of the dispersed phase solution into sub-microliter-sized volumes contained in the drop-carrier particles. The compartmentalized volumes can be used for single-molecule assays as well as single-cell, and other single-entity assays.

Disclosed are methods for coating microcarriers with a marrow stromal cell derived extracellular matrix, and maintaining and expanding mammalian mesenchymal stem cells on the marrow stromal cell derived extracellular matrix coated microcarriers in culture.

A method for making an at least double layered cell aggregate and/or an artificial blastocyst, and/or a further-developed blastoid termed blastoid, by forming a double layered cell aggregate from at least one trophoblast cell and at least one pluripotent and/or totipotent cell, and culturing the aggregate to obtain an artificial blastocyst having a trophectoderm-like tissue that surrounds a blastocoel and an inner cell mass-like tissue. The cell aggregate can be formed from toti- or pluripotent stem cell types, or induced pluripotent stem cell types, in combination with trophoblast stem cells. Formation of a blastoid can be achieved by culturing the cell aggregate in a medium preferably comprising one or more of a Rho/ROCK inhibitor, a Wnt pathway modulator, a PKA pathway modulator, a PKC pathway modulator, a MAPK pathway modulator, a STAT pathway modulator, an Akt pathway modulator, a Tgf pathway modulator and a Hippo pathway modulator. Also, a method for growing an at least double layered cell aggregate into an artificial blastocyst, and into a further-developed blastoid, a foetus or a live animal and an in vitro cell culture comprising the mentioned compounds and/or cell aggregates.

Provided herein are compositions and methods describing the generation and use of in vitro pro-organs using microparticle scaffolds.

The present invention relates to a trypsin-free cell stamp system and a use thereof. According to the present invention, an increase in the passage number of stem cells can be prevented compared with conventional methods of isolating cells from a cell culture dish, while providing a support, which is an essential condition of cell growth, by introducing the trypsin-free cell stamp system, and cells can be continuously supplied for a polymer-based fiber support without an additional subculture process since the empty space of a cell culture dish is filled as times passes. In addition, the artificial effects on cells can be minimized since the cells migrate to a polymer-based nano/micro-fiber support without other external stimulation, and thus the potency of stem cells is increased, thereby inducing more effective differentiation, such that the present invention, as a cell therapeutic agent, can be utilized in general fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Disclosed are microbeads for cell culture and a method of monitoring cell culture using the same. More particularly, each of the microbeads for cell culture according to an embodiment of the present invention include a core and a surface modification layer formed on a surface of the core. By using the method of monitoring cell culture with the microbeads for cell culture according to an embodiment of the present invention, cell culture may be carried out in highly scaled-up dimension and easily monitored.

A method of manipulating allogeneic cells for use in allogeneic cell therapy providing a composition of highly activated allogeneic T-cells which are infused into immunocompetent cancer patients to elicit a novel anti-tumor immune mechanism, or “Mirror Effect”. In contrast to current allogeneic cell therapy protocols where T-cells in the graft mediate the beneficial graft vs. tumor (GVT) and detrimental graft vs. host (GVH) effects, the allogeneic cells of the present invention stimulate host T-cells to mediate the “mirror” of these effects. The mirror of the GVT effect is the host vs. tumor (HVT) effect. The “mirror” of the GVH effect is the host vs. graft (HVG) effect The anti-tumor HVT effect occurs in conjunction with a non-toxic HVG rejection effect. The highly activated allogeneic cells of the invention can be used to stimulate host immunity in a complete HLA mis-matched setting in a patient.

The present invention is directed to devices, methods and kits for cell-specific sorting of cells from a mixed population, e.g., from a tumor sample. Aspects of the invention combine aligned, electrospun microfibers with drug-or protein-releasing nanospheres to isolate cancer cells from tumor biopsies.

The present invention provides a culture method of cells and/or tissues including culturing cells and/or tissues in a suspended state by using a medium composition wherein indeterminate structures are formed in a liquid medium, the structures are uniformly dispersed in the solution and substantially retain the cells and/or tissues without substantially increasing the viscosity of the solution, thus affording an effect of preventing sedimentation thereof, and the like

Methods and systems for isolating platelet-associated nucleated target cells, e.g., such as circulating epithelial cells, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating endothelial cells (CECs), circulating stem cells (CSCs), neutrophils, and macrophages, from sample fluids, e.g., biological fluids, such as blood, bone marrow, plural effusions, and ascites fluid, are described. The methods include obtaining a cell capture chamber including a plurality of binding moieties bound to one or more walls of the chamber, wherein the binding moieties specifically bind to platelets; flowing the sample fluid through the cell capture chamber under conditions that allow the binding moieties to bind to any platelet-associated nucleated target cells in the sample to form complexes; and separating and collecting platelet-associated nucleated target cells from the complexes.