Objects of the present invention are to provide a method for directly obtaining pluripotent stem cells which do not have tumorigenic property from body tissue and the thus obtained pluripotent stem cells. The present invention relates to SSEA-3 (+) pluripotent stem cells that can be isolated from body tissue.

The present invention relates in general to the field of recombinant protein expression. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for selecting a suitable candidate cell clone for recombinant protein expression and to a host cell for recombinant protein expression, the host cell exhibiting artificially modified gene expression of at least one gene selected from the group consisting of: Hist1h2bc, Egrl, BX842664.2/Hist 1h3c, Dhfr, Fgfr2, AC115880.11, Mmp10, Vsnll (optional), CU459186.17, El 30203 B14Rik, Cspg4, C1qtnf1, Foxp2, and Ptpre.

Disclosed herein are cell cultures comprising definitive endoderm cells and methods of producing the same. Also disclosed herein are cell populations comprising substantially purified definitive endoderm cells as well as methods for enriching, isolating and purifying definitive endoderm cells from other cell types.

Various cells, stem cells, and stem cell components, including associated methods of generating and using such cells are provided. In one aspect, for example, an isolated cell that is capable of self-renewal and culture expansion and is obtained from a subepithelial layer of a mammalian umbilical cord tissue. Such an isolated cell expresses at least three cell markers selected from CD29, CD73, CD90, CD166, SSEA4, CD9, CD44, CD146, or CD105, and does not express at least three cell markers selected from CD45, CD34, CD14, CD79, CD106, CD86, CD80, CD19, CD117, Stro-1, or HLA-DR.

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising of preparations of human embryonic stem (hES) cells and their derivatives and methods for their transplantation into the human body, wherein transplantation results in the clinical reversal of symptoms, cure, stabilization or arrest of degeneration of a wide variety of presently incurable and terminal medical conditions, diseases and disorders. The invention further relates to novel processes of preparing novel stem cell lines which are free of animal products, feeder cells, growth factors, leukaemia inhibitory factor, supplementary mineral combinations, amino acid supplements, vitamin supplements, fibroblast growth factor, membrane associated steel factor, soluble steel factor and conditioned media. This invention further relates to the isolation, culture, maintenance, expansion, differentiation, storage, and preservation of such stem cells.

The present disclosure provides methods and kits for the differentiation of stem cells into relevant liver cell lineages, as well as methods of using the relevant liver cell lineages in screening for a cellular response, a phenotype and in the treatment of a condition. In one embodiment, stem cells are first differentiated into cells of the definitive endoderm lineage, which are differentiated into posterior foregut (PFG) lineage cells by one or more of retinoic acid activators and/or one or more inhibitors of transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ). An additional embodiment provides a method for the differentiation of posterior foregut lineage cells into liver bud progenitors (LB) by one or more activators of TGFβ signalling, and/or one or more modulators of Wnt signalling, and/or one or more activators of cyclic AMP/PKA signaling; and a further embodiment provides a method for the differentiation of liver bud progenitors into hepatic progenitors by one or more inhibitors of TGFβ signalling and/or fibroblast growth factor (FGF) inhibitors and/or one or more Notch inhibitors. Another embodiment discloses the differentiation of hepatic progenitors into hepatocyte-like cells or perivenous hepatocyte-like cells by one or more of Notch inhibitors and/or activators of glucocorticoid signalling and/or one or more activators of insulin signalling and/or one or more of ascorbic acid signalling activators and/or additional factors. Methods and kits for maintaining LB in self renewal state, hepatocyte-like cells in perivenous or periportal state, as well as surface markers for LB and mid/hindgut (MHG) cells are also disclosed.

Provided herein are isolated neural stem cells. Also provided are methods for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases using suitable preparations comprising the isolated neural stem cells.

Systems and methods (S/M) to detect stress in stem cells are described. The S/M, including modified stem cells, assays and high throughput screens, can be used to identify compounds or other potential stressors that can negatively affect development potential.

The invention described herein provides high throughput methods and reagents for generating transgenic animals (e.g., mammals) through introducing materials into gametes or preimplantation stage (e.g., one-cell embryo or zygotes) via electroporation, leading to genetically inheritable modification to the genome of the animal.

The present invention provides a method for proliferating neural progenitor cells and a composition for treating neurological diseases, the composition including a proliferated neural progenitor cell. When a fetal neural progenitor cell is cultured under a hypoxia condition and/or in a medium containing tocoperol, tocoperol acetate, or a mixture thereof, the improved cell proliferation rates of the fetal neural progenitor cell are confirmed. In addition, considering an effect of the neural progenitor cell on preventing differentiation thereof into neurons at the time of proliferation, the present disclosure may contribute to mass production of neural stem cells, and accordingly, the proliferated neural progenitor cell is expected to be utilized in the treatment of a neurological disease.