Provided is a polypeptide having FGF2 activity and improved temperature stability and protease resistance. The polypeptide includes at least one substitution selected from a substitution of aspartic acid (D) with glutamic acid (E) at position 28, a substitution of cysteine (C) with isoleucine (I) or leucine (L) at position 78, or a substitution of cysteine (C) with isoleucine (I) or tryptophan (VV) at position 96 in SEQ ID NO: 1.

The present invention relates to the field of stem cells. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods for using optogenetics to sustain the pluripotency of stem cells. In one embodiment, a vector comprises a nucleotide sequencing encoding a fusion protein comprising the intracellular domain of fibroblast growth factor 1 receptor (FGFR1) and a photoactivatable domain.

Disclosed herein are universal donor stem cells and related methods of their use and production. The universal donor stem cells disclosed herein are useful for overcoming the immune rejection in cell-based transplantation therapies. In certain embodiments, the universal donor stem cells disclosed herein do not express one or more MHC-I and MHC-II human leukocyte antigens. Similarly, in certain embodiments, the universal donor stem cells disclosed herein do not express one or more human leukocyte antigens (e.g., HLA-A, HLA-B and/or HLA-C) corresponding to MHC-I and MHC-II human leukocyte antigens, thereby rendering such cells hypoimmunogenic.

The present disclosure pertains to a 3D scaffold for cell growth and proliferation. In particular, the present disclosure provides a method of producing an artificial 3D scaffold to support stem cell growth and later their differentiation, by converting biodegradable amphiphilic copolymers (star polymer) into nanowire scaffolds, through a molecular self-assembly process. The invention also relates to the use of said scaffold for cell culture and/or transplantation.

This disclosure relates to method of differentiating stem cells to specific cardiac-like cells. In certain embodiments, the disclosure contemplates methods of generating left ventricular-like cells and the atrial-like cells by timing the exposure of dividing stem cells to retinoic acid (RA) or retinoic acid receptor inhibitors.

The monitoring and control of bioprocesses is provided. The present disclosure provides the ability to generate generic calibration models, independent of cell line, using inline Raman probes to monitor changes in glucose, lactate, glutamate, ammonium, viable cell concentration (VCC), total cell concentration (TCC) and product concentration. Calibration models were developed from cell culture using two different CHOK1SV GS-KO™ cell lines producing different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Developed predictive models, qualified using an independent CHOK1SV GS-KO™ cell line not used in calibration, measured changes in glucose, lactate, ammonium, VCC, and TCC with minor prediction errors over the course of cell culture with minimal cell line dependence. The development of these generic models allows the application of spectroscopic PAT techniques in a clinical manufacturing environment, where processes are typically run once or twice in GMP manufacturing based on a common platform process.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for sorting cardiomyocytes. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing high-purity cardiomyocytes and a kit used therefor. The present invention provides a method for sorting cardiomyocytes, comprising a step of introducing miRNA-responsive mRNA into a cell group, wherein the miRNA-responsive mRNA consists of a sequence comprising the following (i) and (ii): (i) a nucleic acid specifically recognized by miRNA specifically expressed in cardiomyocytes, and (ii) a nucleic acid corresponding to the coding region of a gene, wherein translation of (ii) the nucleic acid corresponding to the coding region of a gene into protein is regulated by the nucleic acid sequence in (i) above, thereby achieving the aforementioned objects.

The high-potential pluripotent stem cells of the present invention not only have characteristics of conventional Muse cells, namely, are capable of differentiating into any embryonic tissue serving as all cells constituting the body, but also are capable of differentiating into any extraembryonic tissue cells such as placenta and/or germline cells, namely, have differentiation capacities close to totipotency. Thus, the high-potential pluripotent stem cells not only allow for conventional regenerative therapies of various diseases which cause any damage in constitution of the body, but also are capable of differentiating into any extraembryonic tissue cells such as placenta, and thus can allow any damaged sites in such any extraembryonic tissue to be re-constituted, resulting in improvement or restoring of the function of such any damaged sites, and can be applied to a new field of regenerative therapy, for example, can be used in reproductive therapies such as fertility therapy.

Aspects of the present invention are drawn to compositions of somatic cells with innate potential for pluripotency (SCIPP). SCIPP have the capacity to differentiate into functional derivatives of each of the major germ layers (i.e., ectodermal, endodermal and mesodermal). Also provided are methods and kits for identifying and isolating the somatic cells from a subject as well as for employing SCIPP for research or therapeutic purposes.

A method for characterizing stem cell differentiation includes harvesting differentiation media supernatant containing secreted analytes from key time points during a stem cell differentiation, performing at least one of a qualitative and a quantitative analysis of the differentiation media supernatant with respect to at least one secreted analyte, and identifying trends in analyte expression based on at least one of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the differentiation media supernatant.