Described herein are methods and compositions related to generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Improved techniques for establishing highly efficient, reproducible reprogramming using non-integrating episomal plasmid vectors. Using the described reprogramming protocol, one is able to consistently reprogram non-T cells with close to 100% success from non-T cell or non-B cell sources. Further advantages include use of a defined reprogramming media E7 and using defined clinically compatible substrate recombinant human L-521. Generation of iPSCs from these blood cell sources allows for recapitulation of the entire genomic repertoire, preservation of genomic fidelity and enhanced genomic stability.

The present invention provides novel methods for improving the efficiency of artificial activation of unfertilized mammalian oocytes by reducing the intracellular concentration of Zn.sup.2+ in the oocyte. The methods of the invention may additionally comprise a preceding step of increasing the intracellular concentration of Ca.sup.2+ in the oocyte prior to reduction of the intracellular Zn.sup.2+ concentration. The invention further provides unfertilized oocytes activated by the disclosed methods and viable mammalian animals produced from unfertilized oocytes activated by the disclosed methods.

The present invention relates to the use of a compound which inhibits the activity of MKK4 as a medicament for the treatment of a patient suffering from an impaired liver function, to the use of a compound as a medicament for the treatment of liver failure, including acute/fulminant or chronic liver failure and/or for increasing the regeneration of liver tissue in a patient.

Disclosed are: a culture medium containing a specific growth factor and at least one phospholipid; a composition for preparation of the culture medium; a kit; and a method. A technique can be provided which uses a serum-free or low-serum culture medium and has a promoting effect on the proliferation of an animal cell comparable to the promoting effect obtained by the culture in a serum-containing culture medium.

The present invention relates to an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) model for cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome, a method for producing the model, and uses of the iPS model in the analysis of neural development in CFC syndrome. Specifically, the CFC syndrome-derived iPS and generation and differentiation of an embryonic body were induced from the fibroblasts of a CFC syndrome patient, and the CFC syndrome-derived iPS and embryonic body were confirmed to exhibit broken embryonic body shapes and no differentiation into neurons. When a CFC syndrome-derived embryonic body was induced by treating with p-ERK and p-SMAD1 inhibitors, the embryonic body exhibited a normal embryonic body shape and effectively differentiated into neurons. Thus, the CFC syndrome patient-derived stem cell model of the invention can be effectively used in the research for neural development in cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome.

In some aspects, the invention relates to compositions comprising marrow infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs). The MILs may be activated MILs. In some aspects, the invention relates to methods for activating MILs, comprising incubating MILs in an environment comprising less than 21% oxygen. In some aspects, the invention relates to methods for treating cancer in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a composition comprising activated MILs.

This document provides methods and materials relating to platelet lysates. For example, methods and materials for using platelet lysate compositions to grow adult stem cells, to differentiate adult stem cells, to grow primary cell cultures, to grow tumor stem cells, and to identify effective growth factors are provided.

The present invention relates to methods for production of undifferentiated or differentiated embryonic stem cell aggregate suspension cultures from undifferentiated or differentiated embryonic stem cell single cell suspensions and methods of differentiation thereof.

Cell culture media comprising antioxidants are provided herein as are methods of using the media for cell culturing and polypeptide production from cells. Compositions comprising polypeptides, such as therapeutic polypeptides, produced by the methods herein are also provided.

Immunocompetent animal models having immunological tolerance to a xenograft and methods of producing the same. The animal models are tolerized to the xenograft in the pre-immune, fetal or embryonic stage, followed by transplanting the xenograft into the animal in the post-natal stage, such that the post-natal animal is immunologically tolerant to the xenograft, while remaining immunocompetent.