A method of treating a subject with dry-form age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is disclosed. The method comprises administering into the subretina of the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising human RPE cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells thereof co-express premelanosome protein (PMEL17) and cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP), and wherein the trans-epithelial electrical resistance of the cells is greater than 100 ohms to the subject, thereby treating the subject.

A method of treating a subject with dry-form age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is disclosed. The method comprises administering into the subretina of the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising human RPE cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells thereof co-express premelanosome protein (PMEL17) and cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP), and wherein the trans-epithelial electrical resistance of the cells is greater than 100 ohms to the subject, thereby treating the subject.

Certain relatively small cells present in the periphery blood of mammals can be activated to form pluripotent stem cell populations. These small cells are generally less than five micrometers in diameter and are CD45-positive, and are referred to herein as CD45.sup.+ cells or dormant tiny cells. Accordingly, provided are cell populations and compositions with enriched dormant tiny cells from blood samples and methods and compositions for activating these dormant tiny cells. Upon differentiation, the activated stem cells can be used for various therapeutic purposes.

A method of treating a mammal with one of a central nervous system injury and a neurodegenerative disorder comprising isolating, culturing, and generating neural progenitor cells from a mammalian placenta, and transplanting the placenta derived neural progenitor cells into a brain of the mammal.

A method of treating a mammal with one of a central nervous system injury and a neurodegenerative disorder comprising isolating, culturing, and generating neural progenitor cells from a mammalian placenta, and transplanting the placenta derived neural progenitor cells into a brain of the mammal.

A method of obtaining a pluripotent-like multipotent cell, including providing a cell of a first type which is not a pluripotent-like multipotent cell; contacting the cell of a first type with an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell; transiently increasing expression of at least one pluripotent gene regulator in the cell of a first type, to a level at which the at least one pluripotent gene regulator is capable of driving transformation of the cell of a first type into the pluripotent-like multipotent cell; and placing or maintaining the cell in a differentiation medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the at least one pluripotent gene regulator for a sufficient period of time to allow a stable pluripotent-like multipotent cell to be obtained; wherein the pluripotent-like multipotent cell so obtained does not exhibit teratoma formation in vivo.

A method for producing a cell construct including, contacting Schwann cells or Schwann cell-like cells with a biocompatible matrix, and subjecting to cultivation, where the cultivation is at least partially performed by administering mechanical stimulation on the cells in contact with the biocompatible matrix. A cell construct obtained by the method.

Methods of generating spinal cord glutamatergic interneurons (V2a interneurons) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are provided. A method of the present disclosure may include culturing a first population of hPSCs in vitro in a neural induction medium that includes: a retinoic acid signaling pathway activator; a sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway activator; and a Notch signaling pathway inhibitor, wherein the culturing results in generation of a second population of cultured cells containing CHX10+ V2a interneurons. Also provided are non-human animal models that include the hPSC-derived spinal cord glutamatergic interneurons, and methods of producing the non-human animal models.

A method for rejuvenating glial progenitor cells and rejuvenated glial progenitor cells rejuvenated by such method are disclosed. The method comprises introducing a population of genetically modified glial progenitor cells into the brain and/or brain stem of a subject, wherein the genetically modified glial progenitor cells have increased expression of one or more genes compared to the same type of glial progenitor cells that have not been genetically modified, and wherein the one or more genes are selected from the group consisting of ARX, CEBPZ, DLX1, DLX2, ELK1, ETS1, ETV4, KLF16, MYBL2, MYC, NFYB, POU3F1, SMAD1, SOX3, SP5, TCF12, TFDP1, TP53, ZIC3 and ZNF195.

A method for rejuvenating glial progenitor cells and rejuvenated glial progenitor cells rejuvenated by such method are disclosed. The method comprises introducing a population of genetically modified glial progenitor cells into the brain and/or brain stem of a subject, wherein the genetically modified glial progenitor cells have increased expression of one or more genes compared to the same type of glial progenitor cells that have not been genetically modified, and wherein the one or more genes are selected from the group consisting of ARX, CEBPZ, DLX1, DLX2, ELK1, ETS1, ETV4, KLF16, MYBL2, MYC, NFYB, POU3F1, SMAD1, SOX3, SP5, TCF12, TFDP1, TP53, ZIC3 and ZNF195.