The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a cancer stem cell mass from which cells incapable of forming cancer are substantially removed and which has a characteristic property of reproducing a layered structure of a cancer tissue; a process for producing the cancer stem cell mass; and use of the cancer stem cell mass. For achieving the purpose, the present inventors grew a human cancer tissue repeatedly in a NOG mouse, separated cancer cells from the grown cancer tissue, and made a comparison of various cancer cell culture processes with each other. As a result, a cancer stem cell composition which is homogeneous and is substantially free of the coexistence of cells capable of forming cancer and cells incapable of forming cancer in a mixed state can be produced successively by employing an attached culture process using a serum-free stem cell culture medium rather than a generally employed floating culture process, and consequently the present invention has been accomplished.

The present disclosure relates to a cancer cell line having a stem cellularity and a method for producing the same, and more specifically, to inducing cancer cells to cancer stem cells by applying metabolic stress. More specifically, the present disclosures relates to the production and establishment of the cancer stem cell by repeating culturing in a glucose-deficient medium. The main features of the cancer stem cell produced by the method are that, in a glucose-deficient environment, the resistance to apoptosis is exhibited high and the resistance to anticancer drugs is highly exhibited high.

Methods for producing hepatocytes from pluripotent human stem cells are disclosed herein. The stem cells are plated on a cell culture substrate comprising two laminins. The stem cells are then exposed to different cell culture mediums to induce differentiation. The resulting hepatocytes have higher metabolic capacity compared to hepatocytes cultured on different substrates.

The present invention concerns a novel in vitro assay for determining the invasive ability of brain tumour cells, in particular brain tumour stem cells. This new assay, called 3D invasion assay, is based on the analysis and comparison of the area of neurospheres grown in vitro into a Matrigel extracellular-like matrix. The invention also concerns the use of said assay for diagnosing metastatic brain tumour in subjects, for determining its prognosis, as well as for the monitoring, for the stratification, for identifying subjects at risk of metastasis, and/or predicting the metastasis-associated risk in subjects diagnosed with brain tumour.

The invention provides a method for producing a population of ready-to-use spheroid forming cancer cells, comprising: (i) growing cancer cells in suspension culture in a first culture medium on one or more first low-adhesion tissue culture plates thereby forming cancer cell spheroids enriched in cancer stem cells; (ii) disaggregating said cancer cell spheroids to form a suspension of single cells enriched in cancer stem cells; (iii) plating said suspension of single cells in a second culture medium on one or more second low-adhesion tissue culture plates; and (iv) freezing said suspension of single cells in said one or more second tissue culture plates, thereby producing a population of ready-to-use spheroid forming cancer cells. Also provided are cell populations produced by the method and kits for growing cancer cell spheroids, including for use in screening of test compound.

There are described novel compounds of formula I: which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9 and R.sup.10 are each as herein defined. ##STR00001##

It is intended to provide a cancer stem cell and a method for preparing the same. The present invention provides a method for preparing a pluripotent cancer stem cell, comprising transferring Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc genes to an immortalized epithelial cell. The present invention also provides a pluripotent cancer stem cell as prepared by the above method.

Devices for non-invasive, label-free separation of particles in liquid, including circulating tumors cells in blood, are provided. Embodiments of the disclosure provide for devices employing magnetic fluids and magnets for separation of circulating tumor cells from blood. Methods for separation of particles including circulating tumor cells are also provided.

The present invention provides a method for maintenance and expansion of a colon cancer stem cell or induction of a colon cancer organoid. In addition, the present invention provides a medicament screening system using a colon cancer stem cell maintained and expanded or a colon cancer organoid induced by the method.

An in vitro co-culture system comprising cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells for producing and maintaining cancer stem cells and uses thereof for identifying agents capable of reducing cancer cell stemness. Also disclosed herein are a paracrine network through which CAFs facilitate production and/or maintenance of cancer stem cells and the use of components of such a paracrine network for prognosis purposes and for identifying cancer patients who are likely to respond to certain treatment.