A non-freezing refrigerated storage liquid for stem cells such as iPS cells, according to an embodiment, comprises: potassium ion species in a range of 30 to 80 mmoL/L; sodium ion species in a range of 30 to 80 mmoL/L, wherein ion-based molar ratio of sodium ion species to potassium ion species (ratio ofNa.sup.+ to K.sup.+) is in a range of 0.5 to 1.3; trolox or its analog at a concentration of 1 to 8 mM; adenine or a salt or derivative thereof at a concentration of 0.1 to 4.2 mM; all of or all but one, two or three of essential amino acids, total content of which is 50 to 200 mg; and non-essential amino acids, total content of which is 50 to 200 mg/L.

The present application relates to methods and compositions for the generation of therapeutic cells having reduced incidence of karyotypic abnormalities. In several embodiments cardiac stem cells are cultured in an antioxidant-supplemented media that reduces levels of reactive oxygen species, but does not down regulate DNA repair mechanisms. In several embodiments, physiological oxygen concentrations are used during culture in order to increase the proliferation of stem cells, decrease the senescence of the cells, decrease genomic instability, and/or augment the functionality of such cells for cellular therapies.

The present invention provides methods to promote the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. In particular, the present invention provides methods to produce a population of cells, wherein greater than 10% of the cells in the population express markers characteristic of single hormonal pancreatic beta cells.

Among the various aspects of the present disclosure is the provision of engineered cells, animal models, and uses thereof for modeling low grade glioma (LGG). An aspect of the present disclosure provides for a population of cells engineered to silence, downregulate, knock out, or reduce or knock down Cxcl10 expression. Another aspect of the present disclosure provides for an animal engineered to be deficient in Cxcl10, downregulate or reduce expression of Cxcl10, knock out Cxcl10, or knock down Cxcl10 (e.g., Cxcl10.sup.−/− mice). Yet another aspect of the present disclosure provides for a method of growing tumor cell lines or patient-derived xenografts for LGG tumors in an animal (e.g., mouse, rat) including providing a mouse or rat harboring somatic homozygous deletion in the Rag1 or Cxcl10 gene, and implanting an amount of the cells in mice sufficient to grow a tumor.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods comprising cell surface markers for pluripotent-derived cells, in particular, pancreatic endoderm-type cells, derived from pluripotent stem cells.

A population of enteroendocrine cells (EEC) is obtained from a mammalian post-natal cell population, such as a population including post-natal stem cells, by treating the population with a plurality of small molecules that upregulate ChgA and promote differentiation of the cells to form the enteroendocrine cells. The upregulation of ChgA is such that the fraction of cells expressing CGA in the obtained cell population, as measured by a ChgA Immunostaining Assay, is at least about 1.5%. Small molecules that can be used to differentiate the post-natal cells into the enteroendocrine cells can include at least one of a Wnt activator, a Notch inhibitor, a Wnt inhibitor, a MEK/ERK inhibitor, a growth factor, a HDAC inhibitor, a Histone Methylation Inhibitor, a Tgf-β inhibitor, and a NeuroD1 activator. Also, the insulin expression of a population of mammalian cells is increased by treating the population with a plurality of small molecules that increase the insulin expression.

Pluripotent cells that are immunopositive for both the neural progenitor marker nestin and a pluripotent cell marker are provided. The cells exhibit rapid doubling times and can be maintained in vitro for extended periods. Also provided are cell cultures containing the pluripotent cells, a method of transplanting human pluripotent cells to a host, and a method of reducing seizure activity in a subject. These pluripotent cells, when transplanted into the ventricle of a host animal, migrate to the site of damage and adopt a suitably corrective phenotype, resulting in both structural and functional restoration.

There is described herein a method of enriching a population of stem cells for hematopoietic progenitors. The method comprises inducing hematopoietic differentiation in a population of human embryonic stem cells or human induced pluripotent stem cells; sorting the population based on expression of CD43 and at least one of CD34, CD31 and CD144; and selecting a fraction that is at least one of CD34+CD43−, CD31+CD43− and CD144+CD43−. Also provided are populations of hematopoietic progenitors obtained by the methods described herein.

Described herein are methods for the preparation of stable semi-mature tolerogenic dendritic cells and compositions comprising such stable semi-mature tolerogenic dendritic cells. The stable semi-mature tolerogenic dendritic cells described herein and compositions thereof can be used for the establishment of immune tolerance when treating an autoimmune disease, graft rejection and/or graft-versus-host disease.

Certain embodiments provide a method of producing a population of induced multipotent placental cells, the method comprising culturing a population of pluripotent stem cells in the presence of an induction media comprising a retinoid, and optionally a Wnt signaling agonist. Certain embodiments also provide cells, compositions, kits and methods of use thereof.