Methods are provided for the production of photoreceptor cells and photoreceptor progenitor cells from pluripotent stem cells. Additionally provided are compositions of photoreceptor cells and photoreceptor cells, as well as methods for the therapeutic use thereof. Exemplary methods may produce substantially pure cultures of photoreceptor cells and/or photoreceptor cells.

Disclosed herein are methods and materials for transdifferentiating mesenchymal stem cells into neural progenitor cells.

The present invention includes a functionalized nerve guidance conduit (NGC), methods of making neurotrophic factor-expressing neural crest stem-like cells (NCSC) and/or Schwann cell precursor-like (SCP) cells, methods of making the functionalized nerve guidance conduit, and methods of treating nerve injury using the functionalized nerve guidance conduit.

Methods for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to dorsal neuroectoderm progenitors and further to glial progenitor cells and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) using inhibitors of BMP signaling and MAPK/ERK signaling are provided. Also provided are cells and cellular compositions obtained by such methods, and uses of such cells. Further provided are methods and protocols for efficiently differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to OPCs in the absence of the ventralizing morphogen SHH or a SHH signaling activator. The methods of the present disclosure reproducibly produce dorsal neuroectoderm progenitor cells by day 7 of the differentiation process, glial progenitor cells by day 21 of the differentiation process and OPCs by day 42 of the differentiation process.

The present invention provides a method for producing dopaminergic neuron progenitor cells from pluripotent stem cells, which method comprises the steps of: (i) performing adherent culture of pluripotent stem cells on an extracellular matrix in a medium containing a reagent(s) selected from the group consisting of BMP inhibitor, TGFβ inhibitor, SHH signal-stimulating agent, FGF8, and GSK3β inhibitor; (ii) collecting Corin- and/or Lrtm1-positive cells from the cells obtained in Step (i) using a substance which binds to Corin and/or a substance which binds to Lrtm1; and (iii) performing suspension culture of the cells obtained in Step (ii) in a medium containing a neurotrophic factor.

The present invention relates generally to the identification and isolation of human otic progenitor cells. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of using cell markers to identify and isolate human otic progenitor cells from a mixed population of cells, methods of enrichment and production of human otic progenitor cells, and associated kits for use in identification and/or isolation of human otic progenitor cells, wherein the cell markers are selected from SSEA1 (CD15), disialoganglioside GD3, TRA-2-49 (liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase), SSEA4, ganglioside GD2 and CD141.

A process of using a fish plasma component in a nutrient medium for cell culture includes obtaining a fish that is a progeny of domesticated broodstock that are reared under consistent and reproducible conditions. Blood is obtained from the fish, and plasma is separated from the blood. One or more specific components of the plasma are then extracted, and cells are cultured in a nutrient medium using the one or more extracted plasma components, and none of any remainder of the plasma. The plasma and/or the plasma components is/are tested for presence and/or level of endotoxin. Extracting the one or more specific components of the plasma, and/or culturing the cells is only performed if the testing indicates an endotoxin level below a predetermined threshold. The cells cultured using the extracted one or more plasma components are other than fish cells.

The method for producing a cell aggregate including glial progenitor cells according to the present invention comprises: (1) a step of subjecting pluripotent stem cells to suspension culture in an embryoid-body-forming culture medium containing one or more SMAD signaling inhibitors and one or more Wnt signaling activators in the absence of feeder cells for 5 days to 10 days, to form a cell aggregate; (2) a step of subjecting the cell aggregate obtained in (1) to suspension culture in an embryoid-body-forming culture medium containing retinoic acid; (3) a step of subjecting the cell aggregate obtained in (2) to suspension culture in an embryoid-body-forming culture medium or neuron-and-glia-proliferating culture medium containing retinoic acid and one or more SHH signaling activators; and (4) a step of subjecting the cell aggregate obtained in (3) to suspension culture in a neuron-and-glia-proliferating culture medium containing no retinoic acid and one or more SHH signaling activators.

Methods are described for preparing auditory progenitor cells from gingival mesenchymal cells, for uses such as restoring hearing in hearing impaired individuals. In one aspect, a method of treating hearing loss associated with loss of sensory neurons in a human subject is provided, the method comprising the steps of: a. obtaining a population of gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs); b. optionally expanding the population of GMSCs in vitro; c. encapsulating the population of GMSCs in an elastic three-dimensional scaffold; d. exposing the encapsulated population of GMSCs to a composition comprising one or more growth factors; e. allowing co a sufficient period for the population of GMSCs to differentiate towards auditory progenitor cells; f. optionally retrieving the auditory progenitor cells from the scaffold; and g. introducing the auditory progenitor cells into the inner ear of the subject.

The present invention provides a composition for treating ischemic diseases or neuroinflammatory diseases. PSA-NCAM-positive neural progenitor cells used in the present invention promote angiogenesis in injected tissue and inhibit an inflammatory response. The PSA-NCAM-positive neural progenitor cells can be simply isolated by using an anti-PSA-NCAM-antibody, and exhibit excellent angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activities compared with mesenchymal stem cells, and thus can be useful as a composition for effectively treating ischemic diseases caused by a vascular injury and nerve damage diseases caused by inflammation. In addition, a secretome of the neural progenitor cells of the present invention reduces the ischemic injury site and allows a neurological function to recover, and thus can be used as an agent for treating ischemic diseases and degenerative nervous system disorders such as nerve damage diseases caused by inflammation.