The invention, in some aspects, relates to polypeptide molecules and their encoding nucleic acid molecules and use of such molecules to target opsins to the soma of cells in which they are expressed. Compositions of the invention may be delivered to cells and subjects and used in methods to modulate electrical activity of cells in which they are expressed, and for treatment of diseases and conditions in subjects.

Provided are biomaterials useful for cell culture, method of preparation thereof, and use thereof. The present biomaterial comprises a crosslinked hydrogel and a peptide chemically attached to the hydrogel, wherein the peptide comprises a histidine-alanine-valine (HAV) sequence. In particular, the present biomaterial may be useful for culturing neurons, brain endothelial cells, and/or glial cells, supporting the formation of synaptically connected neural networks, and growing stem cell-derived organoids that more closely resemble human organs.

Methods for expanding proliferating populations of neuronal subtype-specific progenitors and creating substantially pure populations of motor neurons are provided herein. In particular, the present invention provides methods for maintaining the unique gene profile and differentiation potential of neuronal subtype-specific progenitors, such as motor neuron progenitors and hindbrain serotonergic neural progenitors.

A spheroid tissue microarray comprises an array of tissue spheroids embedded within a porous mold. The product may be impregnated with a wax or resin and sectioned, and contains spheroids which are precisely located in a regular geometric grid. A method of manufacturing a spheroid tissue microarray comprises the steps of: forming a mold of porous material from liquid mold material in a casting mold, and allowing the liquid mold material to set; removing the porous mold from the casting mold; topping up the porous mold with further liquid mold material, and allowing recesses to form in the surface of the mold by the drawing-in of liquid mold material through shrinkage as the liquid mold material sets; placing tissue spheroids into the recesses in the surface of the porous mold; and sealing the tissue spheroids within the mold by topping off with liquid mold material and allowing the liquid mold material to set. An alternative method comprises the steps of: forming a mold of porous material from liquid mold material in a casting mold; allowing the liquid mold material to set; removing the porous mold from the casting mold; placing spheroids in recesses at the bases of wells in the mold of porous material; and sealing the spheroids within the porous mold by adding further porous material on top of the spheroids; wherein the recesses at the bases of the wells in the porous material are formed by protrusions of the casting mold carrying further, nipple-shaped, protrusions.

Provided is a composition for activating neurogenesis, use of the composition, and a method for preventing, improving, inhibiting the development of, and/or treating a disease or the like of the central nervous system and or the peripheral nervous system using the composition. A composition for activating neurogenesis contains, as an active ingredient, a compound having an ability to inhibit phosphorylation activity of a protein kinase or a prodrug thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a composition for preventing, improving, inhibiting the development of, and/or treating a disease of the central nervous system and/or the peripheral nervous system, or for improving, inhibiting the development of, and/or treating a functional disorder of the central nervous system and/or the peripheral nervous system, the composition containing, as an active ingredient, a compound having an ability to inhibit phosphorylation activity of a protein kinase or a prodrug thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

The present invention provides a method for producing retinal cells or a retinal tissue, comprising the following steps (1)-(3): (1) a first step of culturing human pluripotent stem cells in the absence of feeder cells and in a medium comprising a factor for maintaining undifferentiated state, (2) a second step of culturing the pluripotent stem cells obtained in the first step in suspension in the presence of a Sonic hedgehog signal transduction pathway activating substance to form a cell aggregate, and (3) a third step of culturing the aggregate obtained in the second step in suspension in the presence of a 1) a BMP signal transduction pathway activating substance to obtain an aggregate containing retinal cells or a retinal tissue.

In some aspects, disclosed herein are methods and compositions for treatment of Parkinson's disease using fibroblasts or cells derived from fibroblasts. Also disclosed herein are methods and compositions for generating dopaminergic cells from fibroblasts. Dopaminergic cells generated from fibroblasts are described. Methods of the present disclosure include methods for treatment or preventing of Parkinson's disease comprising the use of fibroblasts or dopaminergic cells generated from fibroblasts.

The present application discloses a method of producing dopaminergic neurons from human stem cells by adding or increasing concentration of vitamin into neuro basal media at approximately Day 20+/−3 of a protocol for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into dopaminergic neurons.

Described herein are methods of transdifferentiating preadipocytes, populations of transdifferentiated preadipocytes, and methods of using the transdifferentiated preadipocytes.

The present invention relates to oligonucleotides that are capable of inducing expression of ubiquitin-protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) from the paternal allele in animal or human neurons. The oligonucleotides target the suppressor of the UBE3A paternal allele by hybridization to SNHG14 long non-coding RNA downstream of SNORD109B. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treatment of Angelman syndrome.