This invention relates to methods for improved cell-based therapies for retinal degeneration and for differentiating human embryonic stem cells and human embryo-derived into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and other retinal progenitor cells.

A method of expanding and maintaining human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in an undifferentiated state by culturing the ESCs in a suspension culture under culturing conditions devoid of substrate adherence is provided. Also provided are a method of deriving ESC lines in the suspension culture and methods of generating lineage-specific cells from ESCs which were expanded in the suspension culture of the present invention.

Compositions and methods are provided for the generation of highly potent conditioned stem (Epinul) cells from adult somatic cells or tissues. Such conditioned stem cells are capable of generating all the cell lineages of any tissue or organ. Uses and compositions of the conditioned stem cells are also disclosed.

Provided are media and methods for establishing and maintaining mammalian early embryo-like cells. The culture media can be used to culture mammalian pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), are chemically defined, and comprise basal media for culturing stem cells supplemented with a S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAH)/Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC)/EZH2 inhibitor and a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. With the culture media thereof, primate (human and non-human) PSCs can be converted to preimplantation ICM-like cells (ICLCs) or 8-cell embryo-like cells (8CLCs).

Provided are media and methods for establishing and maintaining mammalian early embryo-like cells. The culture media can be used to culture mammalian pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which is chemically defined and comprises basal media for culturing stem cells supplemented with a S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAH)/Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC)/EZH2 inhibitor, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and a WNT/-catenin signaling/tankyrase inhibitor. With the culture media, primate (human and non-human) PSCs can be converted to preimplantation ICM-like cells (ICLCs) or 8-cell embryo-like cells (8CLCs).

The object of the present invention is to improve the post-transplantation engraftment rate of cardiomyocytes that have been purified to such an extent that they are free from non-cardiomyocytes and any components derived from other species. To solve this problem, the present inventors studied the possibility of constructing cell masses from the purified cardiomyocytes. As a result, they revealed that the stated problem could be solved by providing a method of preparing cell masses of cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells, characterized in that cell masses of aggregated cells containing cardiomyocytes that had been differentiated and induced from pluripotent stem cells were dispersed to single cells to thereby obtain purified cardiomyocytes, which were then cultured in a culture medium under serum-free conditions so that they were reaggregated.

The present invention generally provides methods and compositions for transdifferentiation of an animal cell from a first non-pluripotent cell fate to a second non-pluripotent cell fate. Also provided are methods and compositions for the transdifferentiation of an animal cell from a non-pluripotent mesodermal, endodermal, or ectodermal cell fate to a different non-pluripotent mesodermal, endodermal, or ectodermal cell fate.

The invention provides culture platforms, cell media, and methods of differentiating pluripotent cells into hematopoietic cells. The invention further provides pluripotent stem cell-derived hematopoietic cells generated using the culture platforms and methods disclosed herein, which enable feed-free, monolayer culturing and in the absence of EB formation. Specifically, pluripotent stem cell-derived hematopoietic cell of this invention include, and not limited to, iHSC, definitive hemogenic endothelium, hematopoietic multipotent progenitors, T cell progenitors, NK cell progenitors, T cells, NK cells, NKT cells and B cells.

The disclosure provided herein relates generally to mesenchymal-like stem cells hES-T-MiSC or T-MSC and the method of producing the stem cells. The method comprises culturing embryonic stem cells under conditions that the embryonic stem cells develop through an intermediate differentiation of trophoblasts, and culturing the differentiated trophoblasts to hES-T-MSC or T-MSC, T-MSC derived cell and cell lineages T-MSC-DL are also described. Disclosed also herein are solutions and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the T-MSC and/or T-MSC-DL, methods of making the T-MSC and T-MSC-DL, and methods of using the T-MSC and T-MSC-DL for treatment and prevention of diseases, specifically, T-MSC and T-MSC-DL are used as immunosuppressive agents to treat multiple sclerosis and autoimmune diseases.

Disclosed herein is a culture system for chemical induction of pluripotent stem cells, comprising a basic culture medium and a composition for performing chemical induction of reprogramming process. The said composition comprises a thymine analogue, a cAMP activator, a TGF- receptor inhibitor, a bone morphogenetic protein, a RA receptor activator, a GSK3 inhibitor and a basic fibroblast growth factor. And the said culture system is free of serum. By using the culture system as described herein, there is no need to frequently replate cells during culture, such that culturing process is simplified and loss of cells resulting from replating cells is reduced. As the culture system is free of serum, subsequent collection of pluripotent stem cells and molecular mechanism analysis are simplified, thereby facilitating establishment of no animal origin culture systems for induction of pluripotent stem cells.