Described are oxysterols, pharmaceutical compositions including the oxysterols, and methods of using the oxysterols and compositions for treating diseases and/or disorders related to myelin injury, such as neonatal brain injury, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, seizures, cognitive delay, multiple sclerosis, stroke, autism, leukodystrophy, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

To provide a method for serum-free culture of human cartilage cells and a serum-free culture medium. A method for serum-free culture of cartilage cells, said method comprising: an enzymatic treatment step for treating a human cartilage cell-containing tissue with a protease; an inhibitor-treatment step for, after the enzymatic treatment step, treating the tissue with an inhibitor for the aforesaid protease; and a culture step for, after the inhibitor-treatment step, culturing the tissue in a serum-free culture medium that contains kartogenin and/or SAG, ITS, FGF2 and hydrocortisone. A serum-free culture medium for culturing cartilage cells, said serum-free culture medium containing kartogenin and/or SAG, ITS, FGF2 and hydrocortisone.

The invention relates to a method of producing CD34+CD4.sup.dim megakaryocyte (MK) progenitor cells, and substantially pure cell population of megakaryocyte precursor cells obtained by said method. The invention also relates to a method of producing proplatelet-bearing MKs and/or platelets using the CD34+CD4.sup.dim cells.

This invention provides methods to prepare and use immunostimulatory cells for enhancing an immune response. The invention provides a method for preparing mature dendritic cells (DCs), comprising the sequential steps of: (a) signaling isolated immature dendritic cells (iDCs) with a first signal comprising an interferon gamma receptor (IFN-γR) agonist and/or a tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor (TNF-αR) agonist to produce signaled dendritic cells; and (b) signaling said signaled dendritic cells with a second transient signal comprising an effective amount of a CD40 agonist to produce CCR7.sup.+ mature dendritic cells. Also provided by this invention are enriched populations of dendritic cells prepared by the methods of the invention. Such dendritic cells have enhanced immunostimulatory properties and increased IL-12 secretion and/or decreased IL-10 secretion. CD40 signaling can be initiated by one or more of polypeptide translated from an exogenous polynucleotide encoding CD40L (e.g., mRNA or DNA), an agonistic antibody to CD40 receptor or by CD40 ligand polypeptide. The enriched populations can be further modified by the administration of an immunogen to the DC. The DC will take up and process the immunogen on its cell surface.

The invention provides a quiescent stem cell having the capacity to differentiate into ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, and which does not express cell surface markers including MHC class I, MHC class II, CD44, CD45, CD13, CD34, CD49c, CD73, CD105 and CD90. The invention further provides a proliferative stem cell, which expresses genes including Oct-4, Nanog, Sox2, GDF3, P16INK4, BMI, Notch, HDAC4, TERT, Rex-1 and TWIST but does not express cell surface markers including MHC class I, MHC class II, CD44, CD45, CD13, CD34, CD49c, CD73, CD105 and CD90. The cells of the invention can be isolated from adult mammals, have embryonic cell characteristics, and can form embryoid bodies. Methods for obtaining the stem cells, as well as methods of treating diseases and the differentiated stem cells, are also provided.

Provided are methods of increasing metabolic maturation of an immature hepatocyte, by contacting an immature hepatocyte which expresses alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin with an effective amount of a fatty acid or a small molecule selected from the group consisting of: an amphipathic carboxylic acid, Thiazolidinedione (TZD), WY-14643 (Pirinixic Acid), GW409544, GW6471, Leukotriene B4, GW 7647, Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid, Perfluorooctanoic Acid, CP-775146, CP-865520, UNII-999KY5ZIGB, and Gemfibrozil. Also provided are isolated hepatocytes and uses thereof.

Provided herein are methods of manufacturing β cells in vitro. Also provided herein are methods of treating a disease in a subject comprising administering the β cells manufactured in vitro to the subject. Also provided herein are methods of differentiating stem cells into β cells.

The present disclosure relates to a pharmaceutical composition for prevention or treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the composition comprising, as an active ingredient, exosomes isolated from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells which have been or have not been treated with a pretreatment material. The exosomes of the present disclosure exhibit a more improved effect of preventing or treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, compared to those isolated from conventional mesenchymal stem cells and as such, can be advantageously used for relevant research and development, and productization.

The present invention relates to a carrier for cell culture and, more specifically, to a carrier for cell culture and a cell culture medium composition comprising same, the carrier for cell culture comprising microcapsules which contain gelatin, a natural polymer, an oil, and an oil thickener and have improved mechanical properties. The microcapsules containing a natural oil, according to the present invention, have significantly improved mechanical properties and retention. When used as a carrier for cell culture in culturing cells, the microcapsules have the effects of improving adhesion and survival of the cells and inducing maturation of the cultured cells, and thus may be variously employed in cell culture using a carrier, co-culture systems, and the field of artificial cell structure production.

A method is provided to improve virus production is an infected host cell by culturing the infected cell in an effective amount of alpha-ketoglutarate.