There is provided a production method for microglia, including a step of introducing, into pluripotent stem cells, a nucleic acid including an open reading frame of a transcription factor that increases expression of a Complement C3 (C3) gene. In the production method, the transcription factor is selected from the group consisting of SPI1, CEBPA, PTAFR, FLI1, MEF2C, EGR2, RUNX1, TNF, CEBPB, IKZF1, KLF6, NFIC, ELF4, PAX8, PRDM1, MEF2A, and NR4A3.

Provided herein are methods of enriching a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell population derived from stem cells. Such a method may comprise removing contaminating cells through the depletion of CD24 positive cells, CD56 positive cells, and/or CD90 positive cells from a starting population of RPE cells.

The invention provides a method for producing a retinal pigment epithelial cell by (1) maintaining and/or expanding human pluripotent stem cells comprising culturing the human pluripotent stem cells in the absence of a feeder cell in a medium comprising a factor for maintaining an undifferentiated state, (2) a first step for culturing the maintained and/or expanded human pluripotent stem cells in a medium comprising a MEK inhibitor in the absence of feeder cells for a period of not less than 2 days and not more than 30 days, wherein the culture condition in the first step is a condition sufficient for inducing gene expression of at least one eye field transcription factor, and (3) a second step for culturing the cells obtained in the first step in the presence of a Nodal signal transduction pathway inhibitor and/or a Wnt signal transduction pathway inhibitor to form a retinal pigment epithelial cell.

A method for generating chondrocytes and/or cartilage, optionally articular like non-hypertrophic chondrocyte cells and/or cartilage like tissue and/or hypertrophic chondrocyte like cells and/or cartilage like tissue, the method comprising: a. culturing a primitive streak-like mesoderm population, optionally a CD56+, PDGFRalpha+ KDR- primitive streak-like mesoderm population, with a paraxial mesoderm specifying cocktail comprising:to specify a paraxial mesoderm population expressing cell surface CD73, CD105 and/or PDGFR-beta; i. a FGF agonist; ii. a BMP inhibitor; optionally Noggin, LDN-193189, Dorsomorphin; and iii. optionally one or more of a TGFbeta inhibitor, optionally SB431524; and a Wnt inhibitor, optionally DKK1, IWP2, or XAV939; b. generating a chondrocyte precursor population comprising: i. culturing the paraxial mesoderm population expressing CD73, CD105 and/or PDGFR-beta at a high cell density optionally in serum free or serum containing media; ii. culturing the high cell density CD73+, CD105+ and/or PDGFRbeta+ paraxial mesoderm population with a TGFbeta3 agonist in serum free media to produce a high cell density Sox9+, collagen 2+ chondrocyte precursor population; and c. either i. culturing the high cell density Sox9+, collagen 2+ chondrocyte precursor population with the TGFbeta3 agonist for an extended period of time to produce an articular like non-hypertrophic chondrocyte cells and/or cartilage like tissue; or ii. culturing the high cell density Sox9+ collagen2+ chondrocyte precursor population with a BMP4 agonist for an extended period of time to produce a hypertrophic chondrocyte like cells and/or cartilage like tissue.

A method of controlling red blood cell production includes contacting red blood cell precursors with a composition including a zinc chelator, a composition including an inhibitor of a zinc importer protein, or a combination thereof; wherein the contacting inhibits survival of the red blood cell precursors, inhibits terminal differentiation of the red blood cell precursors to mature red blood cells, or a combination thereof.

Provided are a method of preparing a stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cell conditioned medium, the method including: differentiating stem cells to stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cells by culturing the stem cells in a differentiation medium containing ascorbic acid and hydrocortisone; producing a culture of stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cells by culturing the differentiated stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cells in a medium; and recovering the stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cell conditioned medium from the culture of the stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cells, a stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cell conditioned medium prepared by the method, and a method of producing a protein from stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cells, the method including the method of preparing the stem cell-derived epidermal progenitor cell conditioned medium.

A method of assessing drug cardiac safety using human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, includes: step (A) of preparing cardiomyocytes by culturing human stem cells to differentiate into cardiomyocytes; step (B) of diluting fibronectin in DPBS (Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline) at a concentration of 50 μg/ml; step (C) of adding the fibronectin solution, obtained by diluting to the concentration of 50 μg/ml in step (B); step (D) of placing the MEA plate; step (E) of removing the fibronectin solution from specific wells of the MEA plate; step (F) of adding a predetermined medium to the specific wells of the MEA plate; and step (G) of measuring changes in information values about beat rate, spike amplitude and field potential duration depending on whether a drug to be assessed has been added to the wells of the MEA plate.

The present invention provides a method for more efficiently producing retinal pigment epithelial cells from pluripotent stem cells. The method of the present invention for producing retinal pigment epithelial cells includes the following steps: (1) a first step for culturing a pluripotent stem cell in a medium comprising an FGF receptor inhibitor and/or an MEK inhibitor for a period of not more than 30 days, and (2) a second step for culturing the cell obtained in the first step in the presence of a Nodal signal transduction pathway inhibitor and/or a Wnt signal transduction pathway inhibitor to form a retinal pigment epithelial cell.

Disclosed herein are methods, compositions, kits, and agents useful for inducing β cell maturation, and isolated populations of SC-β cells for use in various applications, such as cell therapy.

A particulate lyophilized platelet lysate composition suitable for use as a cell culture medium can include growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines released from lysis of source platelets, wherein cellular debris from the source platelets is removed (partially or fully) by filtration. The growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines are lyophilized to form a particulate lyophilized platelet lysate composition.