There is provided a method for easily determining an undifferentiated state of pluripotent stem cells without relying on the judgment of a skilled technician. The method includes: a step of evaluating an undifferentiated state of pluripotent stem cells based on a time-dependent change in a variation value of an extracellular metabolite contained in a culture medium in which the pluripotent stem cells are cultured, wherein the extracellular metabolite is at least one selected from a group consisting of L-glutamic acid, L-alanine and ammonia.

Provided are assay systems for determining the therapeutic or toxic effect of a putative drug based on assaying its activity in cells which have been differentiated in vitro from stem cells, and induced to display a phenotype that resembles a disease to be treated.

The present invention provides three-dimensional microenvironment niches prepared from biomaterial compositions that supports growth and self renewal of stem cells. The invention also provides methods for inducing pluripotency in a somatic cell using chemical compounds, as well as methods for screening for compounds that can induce pluripotency in a somatic cell.

Provided herein are isolated neural stem cells and methods of making neural stem cells from human trophoblast stem cells. The isolated neural stem cells can be immune privileged and express one or more protein(s). Also provided are methods for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases using suitable preparations comprising the isolated neural stem cells.

Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of disorders such as Niemann-Pick disease and GM1 gangliosidosis which are caused by the storage of cholesterol, such as lysosomal storage disease. Also provided is a method for screening for said pharmaceutical compositions that uses iPS cell strains that phenocopy phentotypes of these disorders. Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment and/or prevention of lysosomal storage disease, characterized by containing hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin as an active ingredient. Also provided are an iPS cell strain derived from patients suffering from intractable disorders and prepared using a new temperature-sensitive Sendai virus vector, and a screening method for pharmaceuticals using said iPS cell strain.

There are described novel compounds of formula I: which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 are each as herein defined.

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A pharmaceutical composition includes an NAG-1 inhibitor as an active ingredient for inhibiting resistance against an anticancer drug of an ovarian cancer patient and a method of diagnosing prognosis of resistance against an anticancer drug of an ovarian cancer patient by using the NAG-1 inhibitor. It is found by controlling NAG-1 protein that NAG-1, which is overexpressed in an ovarian cancer patient and in an ovarian cancer stem cell having resistance against an anticancer drug, plays a key role in a chronic inflammatory reaction and resistance against an anticancer drug, and in this regard, NAG-1 can be used as a target gene for effective tumor therapy.

The present invention relates to an in vitro method for evaluating the anti- or pro-arrhythmic potential, cardiotoxicity and/or modulation capacity of cardiomyocyte function of compound(s). The present invention also relates to compound(s) identified or evaluated in the method of the invention for use in the treatment of a heart disease. The present invention further relates to the use of the density change of cardiac Nav 1.5 sodium channels in intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes as marker and/or diagnostic for the anti- or pro-arrhythmic potential of a compound, the cardiotoxicity of a compound or modulation capacity of cardiomyocyte function by said compound, and/or in preclinical assessment for cardiac liability of compounds and cardio-safety assessment. The present invention further relates to a kit for evaluating the anti- or pro-arrhythmic potential, cardiotoxicity and/or modulation capacity of cardiomyocyte function of compound(s).

A method of evaluating an action includes (1) obtaining a first stem-cell data related to a subject before performing the action, (2) performing the action on the subject, (3) obtaining a second stem-cell data related to the subject after performing the action, and (4) identifying the effect of the action on the subject based on the first stem-cell data and the second stem-cell data. The subject may be a human or an animal. The action may be taking a drug or taking a nutrient or dietary supplement, which may include fucoidan. Each of the first and second stem-cell data may include the count of a type or types of stem cells and/or the percentage of the type or types of stem cells and may be obtained by the same method including counting cells using a cell counter or cell counting device such as flow cytometer.

Bromodomain and extra terminal protein (BET) resistant leukemic cell lines and methods for producing such cell lines are described as are methods for using such cell lines in screening assays to identify therapeutic agents. The cell lines can be generated from haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that are clonally enriched by serially exposing c-kit positive cells to a BET inhibitor.