The present invention provides fluorescent compounds of formula (I) as disclosed herein or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Further provided are uses of said fluorescent compounds in methods of determining, in a sample, the presence and/or amount of pluripotent stem cells or cells undergoing reprogramming to become induced pluripotent stem cells. ##STR00001##

The invention relates to a cellular microcompartment comprising successively, organized around a lumen, at least one layer of pluripotent cells, an extracellular matrix layer and an outer hydrogel layer. The invention also relates to processes for preparing such cellular microcompartments.

The present invention provides a chromosome-stabilizing agent for stem cells containing a β-nicotinamide mononucleotide or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a solvate thereof, as an active ingredient. The present invention also provides a culture method for stem cells, including culturing stem cells in a culture medium containing a β-nicotinamide mononucleotide or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a solvate thereof.

The present invention provides a method for preparing induced pluripotent stem cells through somatic cell reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cells obtained therefrom. The present method comprises introducing the factors Oct4 and Nanog as reprogramming-inducing factors into somatic cells to perform reprogramming; followed by culturing the partially or fully reprogrammed somatic cells in a medium comprising specific chemical inducing agents to obtain induced pluripotent stem cells. In the present invention, the combination of different forms of reprogramming-inducing factors and three small-molecule compounds as chemical inducing agents can significantly improve the reprogramming efficiency of human somatic cells and reduce the tumorigenicity of the obtained induced pluripotent stem cells.

Disclosed herein are cells including pluripotent stem cells that conditionally express an immunosuppressive factor and related methods of their use and generation. In some embodiments, the cells disclosed do not express MHC I and MHC II human leukocyte antigens, and in some cases, also do not express one or more TCR complexes. In some embodiments, hypoimmunogenicity of the cells is controlled by activation of a controllable expression system upon contacting the cells with a specific factor or agent.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a method for culturing factor-introduced cells, the method including culturing factor-introduced cells and recovering the factor-introduced cells and seeding at least part of the recovered cells in a medium for seeding. In addition, there is provided a method for culturing factor-introduced cells, the method including culturing factor-introduced cells and inducing the factor-introduced cells to somatic cells different from pluripotent stem cells without passaging.

Described herein are regenerative approaches with tunable cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions to enhance the ability to regenerate multiple zones within a construct with each zone possessing a unique, optimum, level of cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction.

Provided are compositions and methods used for precise template-free correction of BRCA1 mutation in human cells via genome editing. The method involves modifying DNA that includes a BRCA1-5382-InsC mutation by introducing into cells comprising the BRCA1-5382-InsC a Cas enzyme and a guide RNA. A guide RNA that produces improved results relative to other guide RNAs is provided. Also provided are modified stem cells that contain an introduced BRCA1-5382-InsC mutation.

The present invention relates to a method to differentiate pluripotent stem cells to a primitive streak cell population, in a stepwise manner for further maturation to definitive endoderm.

The invention provides methods for reprogramming somatic cells to generate multipotent or pluripotent cells. Such methods are useful for a variety of purposes, including treating or preventing a medical condition in an individual. The invention further provides methods for identifying an agent that reprograms somatic cells to a less differentiated state.