The ubiquitin ligase, RNF5, regulates the gut microbiota composition and influences the immune checkpoint response to tumors. RNF5 deficient animals exhibit significant inhibition of tumor development as well as an altered gut microbiota composition. Methods of treating cancer by administering to a subject one or more selected bacterial species and/or one or more prebiotics that promote the growth of one or more selected bacterial species are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of treating cancer by administering to a subject one or more selected bacterial species and/or one or more prebiotics that promote the growth of one or more selected bacterial species in combination with one or more anti-cancer agents.

The invention discloses methods for the generation of chimaeric human-non-human antibodies and chimaeric antibody chains, antibodies and antibody chains so produced, and derivatives thereof including fully humanised antibodies; compositions comprising said antibodies, antibody chains and derivatives, as well as cells, non-human mammals and vectors, suitable for use in said methods.

The present invention relates to the production of avian induced pluripotent stem cells from non-pluripotent somatic cells, including embryonic fibroblasts and adult somatic cells. In this method, avian (including quail or chicken) somatic cells are reprogrammed into a state closely resembling embryonic stem cells including the expression of key stem cell markers alkaline phosphatase, etc. by transfecting/transducing the non-stem cells with genes (preferably using a non-integrating vector as otherwise described herein or alternatively an integrating vector, such a lentiviral vector, retroviral vector or inducible lentiviral vector, among others) which express at least nanog, Lin28 and cMyc. In preferred aspects of the invention, the transfected/transduced vectors express nanog, Lig28, cMyc, Oct 4 (POU5F1 or PouV), SOX2 and KLF4. The induced stem cells which are produced contribute to all 3 germ layers, the trophectoderm and in certain aspects, the gonad in chimeric offspring.

Compositions and methods of producing mammalian cell populations that include a high proportion of pancreatic beta cells are described herein. Such cell populations are useful for treatment of diabetes. Also provided are materials and methods for the direct differentiation of stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells, into functional pancreatic beta cells. The disclosure provides the benefit of direct differentiation, which results in the production of functional pancreatic beta cells efficiently and at low cost.

The present invention provides a method for evaluating tumorigenicity of a test cell, including transplanting the cell into anterior chamber of an eye of an experimental animal, and observing the presence or absence of tumor formation. According to the present invention, tumorigenicity can be evaluated in a short period and conveniently.

The present invention includes compositions and methods for treating diseases or disorders associated with pathological calcification or pathological ossification. In certain embodiments, the diseases or disorders are selected from the group consisting of Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy (GACI), Idiopathic Infantile Arterial Calcification (IIAC), Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL), hypophosphatemic rickets, osteoarthritis, calcification of atherosclerotic plaques, PXE, hereditary and non-hereditary forms of osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, hardening of the arteries occurring with aging, calciphylaxis resulting from end stage renal disease and progeria.

The invention described herein provides non-HLA matched humanized mouse model (e.g., NSG mouse model) with patient-derived xenograft (PDX), as well as methods of making and using the same.

The present disclosure provides a chimeric non-human animal comprising human hepatocytes, methods for preparing the chimeric non-human animal comprising human hepatocytes and methods of utilizing the chimeric non-human animal comprising human hepatocytes to screening and identifying metabolites for any type of drugs, typically small molecule drugs, which might affect human liver functions and any other bodily function.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ventral hindgut organoid for producing a bladder organoid that comprises a layer structure of bladder epithelial cell types like the urinary bladder. An aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a ventral hindgut organoid, comprising culturing a pluripotent stem cell with an inducer medium A containing activin A and GSK3β inhibitor to induce differentiation into definitive endoderm cells and culturing the definitive endoderm cells with an inducer medium B containing fibroblast growth factor, GSK3β inhibitor, and optionally further containing bone morphogenetic protein, and then culturing them in the presence of extracellular matrix with an inducer medium B containing fibroblast growth factor, GSK3β inhibitor, and optionally further containing bone morphogenetic protein to form a ventral hindgut organoid.

Genetically modified non-human animals expressing human EPO from the animal genome are provided. Also provided are methods for making non-human animals expressing human EPO from the non-human animal genome, and methods for using non-human animals expressing human EPO from the non-human animal genome. These animals and methods find many uses in the art, including, for example, in modeling human erythropoiesis and erythrocyte function; in modeling human pathogen infection of erythrocytes; in in vivo screens for agents that modulate erythropoiesis and/or erythrocyte function, e.g. in a healthy or a diseased state; in in vivo screens for agents that are toxic to erythrocytes or erythrocyte progenitors; in in vivo screens for agents that prevent against, mitigate, or reverse the toxic effects of toxic agents on erythrocytes or erythrocyte progenitors; in in vivo screens of erythrocytes or erythrocyte progenitors from an individual to predict the responsiveness of an individual to a disease therapy.