Described herein are methods, compositions, and kits for directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into caudal lateral epiblasts, posterior neuroectoderm or posterior neuroepithelium, or motor neurons having specified HOX gene expression pattern mirroring a desired position along the rostral-caudal axis during hindbrain and spinal cord development. Also described are isolated populations of cells including caudal lateral epiblasts, posterior neuroectoderm, posterior neuroepithelium, or motor neurons having a HOX gene expression pattern specified to correspond to the HOX gene expression pattern associated with a desired rostral-caudal axis position.

The present invention relates to a cell culture medium for preparing liver, gastric, pancreatic, colon or intestinal adult stem cell isolated from adult tissue, as well as for maintaining such stem cell in the undifferentiated state. The cell culture medium comprises a base medium; an ABL and SRC dual kinase inhibitor/an ABL kinase inhibitor and a SRC kinase inhibitor; a mitogenic factor; a WNT signalling pathway activator; a stimulator for NAD+ and NADP+ generation; and a cAMP/P KA pathway activator. In a particular embodiment, the ABL and SRC dual kinase inhibitor is Dasatinib; the mitogenic factor is EGF; the WNT signalling pathway activator is R-Spondin 1; the stimulator for NAD+ and NADP+ generation is nicotinamide; and the cAMP/PKA pathway activator is cholera endotoxin.

The present invention provides means for producing an organoid close to an organ in a living body and capable of secretion of a plasma protein and immune response. A matrix composition of the present invention provided as such means includes: (1) a first matrix containing one or more cells selected from the group consisting of vascular cells, nerve cells, and blood cells; and (2) a second matrix containing to cells constituting an organ and/or an organoid, in which the first matrix envelops the second matrix, and the first matrix has at least one opening.

The present invention relates to a method for ex vivo generating and expanding MHCII restricted CD4.sup.+ Foxp3.sup.+ regulatory T cells, and therapeutic uses thereof. The inventors here demonstrated the optimal conditions for inducing Foxp3 expression in naive CD3+ CD4+ TCRαβ+ MHCII restricted T following polyclonal or following antigen-specific activation. They also developed an experimental procedure to generate autologous CD8+ T cell lines functionally committed to lyse tumor-antigen specific FOXP3 expressing TCRαβ+ MHCII restricted T cells, pathogenic CD4+ T cells that favour tumor cell immune evasion. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for generating ex vivo MHCII restricted CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells having the following phenotype: CD3+ CD4+ Foxp3+.

The present disclosure relates to novel glia-like cells that are differentiated from somatic cells and secrete 20,000 pg/ml or more of HGF, a chemical cocktail composition for producing the same, a method for producing the same, a cell therapy product for treating neurological disorder containing the same, and a method of preventing and treating neurological disorder by administering the same.

The present invention provides a method for producing parasympathetic neurons from neural crest cells or autonomic neural progenitor cells derived therefrom, comprising a step of culturing the neural crest cells or autonomic neural progenitor cells derived therefrom in the presence of a cAMP production promoter, a BDNF signaling pathway activator, a GDNF signaling pathway activator, an NGF signaling pathway activator, an NT-3 signaling pathway activator, vitamin C, a protein kinase C activator, and a retinoic acid receptor agonist.

Human pluripotent stem cells are differentiated in vitro into forebrain subdomain structures, which are then fused to generate an integrated system for use in analysis, screening programs, and the like.

The invention relates to differentiation methods for progenitor cells, e.g. mammalian epithelial stem cells, differentiation media for use in said methods, organoids and cells obtainable by said methods and uses, including therapeutic uses, thereof.

The invention provides a method of producing a population of human Schwann cells. The method comprises (a) incubating human fascicles with one or more mitogens for a priming period of three to fourteen days to produce primed fascicles, (b) incubating the primed fascicles with one or more tissue dissociation enzymes to produce primed Schwann cells, (c) culturing the primed Schwann cells at an initial Po density for a period of time to achieve no greater than 90% confluence, (d) expanding the population of Schwann cells by culturing the Schwann cells at an initial passage density for a period of time to achieve no greater than 90% confluence for at least two passages, and harvesting the population of human Schwann cells. The invention further provides an isolated population of Schwann cells obtained by the method described herein. In various aspects of the invention, the isolated population is provided in a composition.

The invention relates to in vitro cell culture methods for expanding epithelial cells from head and neck tissue, including head and neck tumour tissue, to obtain organoids. The invention relates to culture media suitable for use with said methods, organoids obtainable or obtained by said methods and uses of said culture methods, media and organoids in drug discovery and validation, toxicity assays, diagnostics and therapy.