Provided herein are cytoplasts, compositions comprising cytoplasts, methods of using cytoplasts, and methods of treating a subject, such as providing benefits to a healthy or unhealthy subject, or treating or diagnosing a disease or condition in a subject. In some embodiments, methods of treating a subject include: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a cytoplast. Also, provided herein are compositions (e.g., pharmaceutical compositions) that include a cytoplast. Also, provided herein are kits comprising instructions for using the compositions or methods.

The invention discloses a bioreactor with a vessel defining an inner volume, agitation means and at least one addition tube, wherein a delivery orifice in the addition tube is located within the inner volume and a check valve is arranged in proximity of the delivery orifice for allowing flow of a fluid in the direction from the addition tube into the inner volume of the vessel and blocking flow in the reverse direction.

A cell culture matrix is provided that has a substrate with a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a thickness separating the first side and the second side, and a plurality of openings formed in the substrate and passing through the thickness of the substrate. The plurality of openings allow flow of at least one of cell culture media, cells, or cell products through the thickness of the substrate, and provides a uniform, efficient, and scalable matrix for cell seeding, proliferation, and culturing. The substrate can be formed from a woven polymer mesh material that provides a high surface area to volume ratio for cells and good fluid flow through the matrix. Bioreactor systems incorporating the cell culture matrix and related methods are also provided.

The present disclosure provides the sequence of a Paenibacillus polymyxa preproenzyme which is the precursor of a neutral protease, expression thereof in a transformed host organism, and methods for production of the neutral protease, by recombinant means. Further, use of the recombinantly produced neutral protease is disclosed in the field of cell biology, particularly for the purpose of tissue dissociation. The disclosure also includes blends with other proteases. Further disclosed are nucleotide sequences encoding the neutral protease.

A method for optimizing a process (PROC) to produce a biochemical product (P) defined by a quality attribute, the process being controlled by an actuation parameter (C) and being monitored to get a measured value (T). The method includes training a predictive model (PRED) on a training database; and deploying the trained predictive model (PRED) to provide a correction actuation parameter (dC) when a predicted quality attribute (pQA) is out of a targeted quality attribute interval (QAmin, QAmax). The method also includes a step of designing a physical model of the process (PROC) able to provide a simulated quality attribute, the training database comprising simulated quality attributes computed from the physical model and experimental quality attributes computed from biochemical products (P) previously produced.

A perfusion manifold assembly is described that allows for perfusion of a microfluidic device, such as an organ on a chip microfluidic device comprising cells that mimic cells in an organ in the body, that is detachably linked with said assembly so that fluid enters ports of the microfluidic device from a fluid reservoir, optionally without tubing, at a controllable flow rate.

A culture module is contemplated that allows the perfusion and optionally mechanical actuation of one or more microfluidic devices, such as organ-on-a-chip microfluidic devices comprising cells that mimic at least one function of an organ in the body.

Systems and methods to characterize dimerization interfaces at the subdomain level of a protein are provided. An exemplary method includes digesting a protein dimer sample into subdomains, labeling the digested protein sample, isolating labeled dimeric and monomeric subdomain fragments, and peptide mapping the labeled sample to determine where the dimer fragments are labeled and where the dimer fragments are not labeled. Regions that show decreased labeling extents in the dimer fraction than that in the monomer fraction are likely involved or in close proximity to the dimerization interface.

A cell cultivation apparatus for cultivating microorganisms and growing cells at high density is provided. The apparatus includes a membrane comprising multiple surface features on a first side of the membrane for cell placement. The surface features comprising one or more compartments within which a cell can be located. The membrane includes a material that is at least partially permeable to gas. A second side of the membrane defines a gas region. The second side of the membrane is separated from the first side of the membrane by the membrane. The apparatus further includes a media region for receiving media. The compartments are configured to at least partially reduce media flow shear forces on one or more cells in the compartments. The surface features may be ridges, protrusions, fins, wells, and/or posts.

Well-defined, xeno-free culture media which comprise a TGF-beta isoform or the chimera formed between IL6 and the soluble IL6 receptor (IL6RIL6), which are capable of maintaining stem cells, and particularly, human embryonic stem cells, in an undifferentiated state are provided. Also provided are cell cultures comprising the culture media and the stem cells and methods of expanding and deriving embryonic stem cells in such well-defined, xeno-free culture media. In addition, the present invention provides methods of differentiating ESCs or EBs formed therefrom for the generation of lineage specific cells.

The present invention provides a method for the normalized culturing of corneal endothelial cells. More specifically, the present invention provides a culture-normalizing-agent of a corneal endothelial cell, comprising a fibrosis inhibitor. In detail, the present invention provides a culture-normalizing agent comprising a transforming growth factor (TGF) β signal inhibitor. The present invention also provides a culture medium for culturing a corneal endothelial cell normally, which comprises the culture-normalizing agent according to the present invention and corneal endothelium culture components. The present invention also provides a method for culturing a corneal endothelial cell normally, comprising the step of culturing a corneal endothelial cell using the culture-normalizing agent according to the present invention or the culture medium according to the present invention.