The present invention is directed to therapeutic multifunctional immature dental pulp stem cells (IDPSCs), and IDPSCs multi-lineage compositions. The invention is further directed to the use of IDPSCs and compositions to reduce the risk of and/or treat degenerative diseases or for other medicinal and aesthetic purposes.

A method for treating an oral condition of a subject by grafting cultured tissue constructs to the oral tissue. The cultured tissue constructs comprise cultured cells and endogenously produced extracellular matrix components without the requirement of exogenous matrix components or network support or scaffold members. Some tissue constructs of the invention are comprised of multiple cell layers or more than one cell type. The tissue constructs of the invention have morphological features and functions similar to tissues their cells are derived and their strength makes them easily handleable. Preferred cultured tissue constructs of the invention comprise cells derived from human tissue.

Methods of preparing ovarian tissue for primordial follicle growth are presented comprising the steps: providing an ovarian tissue sample comprising cortical tissue and stromal tissue; removing damaged tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; removing excess stromal tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; and then mechanically stretching the ovarian tissue sample along at least one dimension of the ovarian tissue sample, such that the size of the ovarian tissue sample along the at least one dimension is increased by at least 10%. Methods of growing viable oocyte in vitro, and methods of preparing individual ovarian follicles for growth are also presented.

Provided herein are methods for the repopulation of organs and tissues, such as the liver, using modified cells that express a transcription coactivation factor-ligand binding domain fusion protein, such as a YAP-ERT2 fusion protein. Also provided are compositions, including nucleic acid molecules that encode a YAP-ERT2 fusion protein, YAP-ERT2 fusion polypeptides, and cells containing nucleic acid molecules that encode a YAP-ERT2 fusion protein.

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 are means, methods and compositions of matter useful for induction of immunological responses towards tumor endothelial cells. In one embodiment the invention teaches fusion of dendritic cells and cells resembling tumor endothelial cells and administration of such chimeric cells as an immunotherapy for stimulation of tumor endothelial cell destruction. In other embodiments pluripotent stem cells are utilized to generate dendritic cells, wherein said dendritic cells are fused with pluripotent stem cell derived endothelial cells created in a manner to resemble tumor endothelial cells.

The invention discloses a methodology for the culture of prostate tissue organoids from mouse and human prostate.

Methods for generating high-yield, high-purity cardiomyocyte progenitors or cardiomyocytes from pluripotent cells are described. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is first activated in pluripotent cells, by, for example, inhibiting Gsk-3 to obtain a first population of cells. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is then inhibited in the first cell population to induce cardiogenesis. One or more of these steps is performed under defined, albumin-free culture conditions.

A serum-free complete medium for inducing differentiation of a mesenchymal stem cell to a corneal epithelial cell in the field of differentiation induction of stem cells, prepared by the following method: uniformly mixing the serum-free complete medium, containing 5-10 μmol of resveratrol, 2-4 μmol of icariin, 1-3 nmol of aspirin, 1-3 nmol of parathyroid hormone, 5-10 nmol of hydrocortisone, 1-3 mg of rapamycin, 2-10 μg of testosterone, 2-10 μg of EPO, 2-10 μg of LIF and the balance of a corneal epithelial cell serum-free medium in per 1 L; and then performing sterilization by filtration. The disclosure uses resveratrol and icariin in combination with aspirin, parathyroid hormone, hydrocortisone, rapamycin, testosterone and growth factors to cooperatively induce directional differentiation, uses nontoxic induction components, is high in induction efficiency and short in induction time, and achieves high induced corneal epithelial cell activity, no cell transplantation rejection, no ethical problem and high safety.

The invention provides a combination of compositions comprising in a first composition 17β-estradiol as the active ingredient and, as a second composition, a suspension of cells for use in the treatment of functional defects of an epithelium, e.g. of an epithelium of a tissue, which tissue may be part of an organ.