The present invention relates to a chemically defined medium for eukaryotic cell culture, comprising water, at least one carbon source, one or more vitamins, one or more salts, one or more growth factors, one or more fatty acids, one or more buffer components, selenium and one or more further trace elements and its use in the culture of cancer stem cells, in particular tumorsphere culture of cancer stem cells.

The present invention relates to methods for generating Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from fibroblast cells. The invention also relates to appropriate culture media used by the method disclosed; pluripotent stem cells, cultures of the pluripotent stem cells, differentiated cells derived from the culture pluripotent stem cells isolated by the methods disclosed and uses for those cells, e.g. therapeutic uses, such as autologous cell therapy procedures.

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.

Embodiments herein relate to in vitro production methods of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) that have long-term multilineage hematopoiesis potentials upon in vivo engraftment. The HSC and HSPCs are derived from pluripotent stem cells-derived hemogenic endothelia cells (HE) by non-integrative episomal vectors-based gene transfer.

Described herein are methods and compositions related to generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Improved techniques for establishing highly efficient, reproducible reprogramming using non-integrating episomal plasmid vectors. Using the described reprogramming protocol, one is able to consistently reprogram non-T cells with close to 100% success from non-T cell or non-B cell sources. Further advantages include use of a defined reprogramming media E7 and using defined clinically compatible substrate recombinant human L-521. Generation of iPSCs from these blood cell sources allows for recapitulation of the entire genomic repertoire, preservation of genomic fidelity and enhanced genomic stability.

The present invention provides a cell population and a method of obtaining the same. The cell population of the present invention is obtained by culturing mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, or peripheral blood in a medium containing serum and four or less of factors selected from the group consisting of stem cell factor, interleukin-6, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, thrombopoietin, and vascular endothelial growth factor.

The disclosure provides methods and compositions for affecting the development of antigen presenting cell (APC, e.g., a macrophage or dendritic cell). The methods include maturing an APC, promoting anti-inflammatory phenotype, promoting development of a T regulatory cell (Treg) from a naive T cell. The methods generally include exposing an APC to a tryptophan derived microbiota metabolite (TDMM), such as an anti-inflammatory or pro-mucosal TDMM, and permitting the APC to mature. In some embodiments, the conditioned APC is exposed to a naive T cell to further promote development of a T regulatory cell (Treg). In some embodiments, the TDMM is selected from the group consisting of indole, indole-3-acetate, 5-hydroxyindole, and indole-3-pyruvate.

Provided herein are methods of generating MDSCs ex vivo. The methods include culturing blood cells with an LRP2 agonist.

Provided are methods for expanding stem cells and/or lineage committed progenitor cells, such as hematopoietic stems cells and/or lineage committed progenitor cells, at least in part, by using compounds that antagonize AhR. The compounds are represented by formulae:

##STR00001## wherein the letters and symbols a, b, c, d, e, f, g, Z, R.sup.1b, R.sup.2a and R.sup.2b have the meanings provided in the specification. Also provided are compositions comprising stem cells and/or lineage committed progenitor cells expanded by methods disclosed herein and methods for the treatment of diseases treatable by same.

The present disclosure relates to genetically modified B cells, including memory cells, differentiated to plasmablasts or plasma cells useful for long term in vivo expression of a transgene, such as a specific antibody or other protein therapeutic. Also disclosed are methods of producing the cells and methods of treatment.