An object is to provide a composition and a method for eliminating undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells remaining in a cell group induced to differentiate from pluripotent stem cells. It has been found that while dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors exhibit cytotoxic activity against pluripotent stem cells, they do not exhibit significant cytotoxic activity against differentiated cells such as somatic stem cells.

Provided is a method for efficiently manufacturing high-purity peripheral nerve cells from undifferentiated cells. The method for manufacturing peripheral nerve cells from undifferentiated cells having an ability to differentiate into peripheral nerve cells includes the following steps (a) and (b): (a) culturing undifferentiated cells having an ability to differentiate into peripheral nerve cells to induce differentiation into neural progenitor cells without detaching a grown colony from a culture vessel; and (b) detaching the neural progenitor cells produced in the step (a) from the culture vessel, then seeding the cells at a seeding density of 2×10.sup.5 to 6×10.sup.5 cells/cm.sup.2 to a culture vessel, and culturing the cells for 14 to 42 days.

The invention pertains to an ophthalmological device (100, 200) for the treatment of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency, the device (100, 200) comprising: a stem cell carrier substrate; and a culture of limbal epithelial stem cells cultivated on said stem cell carrier substrate; wherein said stem cell carrier substrate comprises a hydrogel containing collagen or collagen-mimicking peptides; and wherein a ring-shaped area on a surface of said stem cell carrier substrate is provided with a pattern of niches (110, 210). The invention also pertains to a method for producing the ophthalmological device.

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.

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 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.