Disclosed herein are compositions and methods to decellularize an isolated organ or portion thereof. Also disclosed herein are compositions and methods for treatment of disease utilizing a decellularized or recellularized organ. Also disclosed herein are methods of improving decellularization and/or recellularization of an isolated organ or portion thereof.

The present invention relates to a gene therapy vector which is useful in the treatment or prevention of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a subject in need thereof. The gene therapy vector of the invention comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a cardiac sarcomeric protein and a cardiomyocyte-specific promoter which is operably linked to said nucleic acid sequence. The invention furthermore relates to a cell which comprises the gene therapy vector. Pharmaceutical compositions which comprise the gene therapy vector and/or a cell comprising said vector are also provided. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for treating or preventing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a subject by introducing the gene therapy vector of the invention into a subject in need of treatment.

A method of direct transdifferentiation of somatic cells into other somatic cells may be convenient and still have good reproducibility, excellent production efficiency, and short performed time. Methods for direct transdifferentiation of somatic cells into other somatic cells may include: (a) introducing a GLIS family gene, a mutated GLIS family gene or a gene product thereof into somatic cells; and (b) culturing the gene-introduced somatic cells in a culture medium containing a component that induces differentiation of the somatic cells or precursor cells of the somatic cells into other somatic cells.

Polymers suitable for forming carbon nanotube-functionalized reverse thermal gel compositions, compositions including the polymers, and methods of forming and using the polymers and compositions are disclosed. The compositions have reverse thermal gelling properties and transform from a liquid/solution to a gel—e.g., near or below body temperature. The polymers and compositions can be injected into or proximate an area in need of treatment.

Disclosed are subpopulations of mammalian stem cell- or mammalian progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The subpopulations of cardiomyocytes contain a portion of a population of mammalian stem cell- or mammalian progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The subpopulations of cardiomyocytes can be CD36.sup.+ subpopulations or CD36.sup.− subpopulations. Disclosed are methods of isolating and of using the subpopulations of cardiomyocytes, particularly in cardiac disease modeling, drug screening, cardiotoxicity testing, and cardiac regeneration/repair.

The present specification provides a spontaneous-contracting cardiac organoid, a method for manufacturing the organoid, and a method for evaluating drug toxicity by using same, the cardiac organoid comprising: a chamber in which a fluid is stored; a first pipe connected to the chamber so that the fluid flows therethrough; a second pipe connected to the chamber so that the fluid is discharged therethrough; and a valve formed on the first pipe so as to spontaneously open/close an inflow pipe.

A method for producing a cell population containing cardiomyocytes, including (1) a step of bringing a histone deacetylase inhibitor into contact with a cell population containing cardiomyocytes and cells other than cardiomyocytes, the cell population being obtained by culturing pluripotent stem cells in a medium for cardiomyocyte differentiation, and (2) a step of culturing the cell population is provided by the present invention.

A method for generating a heart organoid is provided. The method includes forming a cellular aggregate of pluripotent stem cells, activating Wnt signaling in the cellular aggregate to cause the cellular aggregate to differentiate into a three-dimensional cardiac mesoderm, and inhibiting the Wnt signaling in the cardiac mesoderm to form the heart organoid. The heart organoid includes myocardial tissue, endocardial tissue defining at least one chamber, and epicardial tissue disposed on at least an outer surface of the myocardial tissue. The heart organoid beats. Heart organoids prepared in accordance with the method are also provided.

The present invention relates in part to nucleic acids encoding proteins, nucleic acids containing non-canonical nucleotides, therapeutics comprising nucleic acids, methods, kits, and devices for inducing cells to express proteins, methods, kits, and devices for transfecting, gene editing, and reprogramming cells, and cells, organisms, and therapeutics produced using these methods, kits, and devices. Methods for inducing cells to express proteins and for reprogramming and gene-editing cells using RNA are disclosed. Methods for producing cells from patient samples, cells produced using these methods, and therapeutics comprising cells produced using these methods are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a preparation method of a spheroid using human-derived cardiac stem cells and a therapeutic use for ischemic heart disease using the myocardial regeneration effect thereof. The spheroid using the cardiac stem cells provided in the present invention has excellent myocardial differentiation ability and regenerative therapeutic ability as compared to existing cardiac stem cells, and thus may be used for the treatment of ischemic heart disease such as myocardial infarction.