In some aspects, disclosed are methods and compositions for disc regeneration and/or repair using one or more components from conditioned media from fibroblasts. In certain cases, conditioned media is obtained from fibroblasts stimulated with one or more opioid receptor antagonists and one or more toll-like receptor agonists. Conditioned media from fibroblasts may be provided in an effective amount to an individual in need thereof.

The present invention relates to compounds for use in treating a disease that is associated with (related to) CYP7B1 wherein the compound inhibits CYP7B1. The present invention further relates to a method of treating or preventing such a disease by administering an inhibitor of CYP7B1. The present invention also relates to a method of determining whether a compound is effective in treating or preventing a disease associated with the formation of inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT).

Disclosed herein are bionanoparticles of adipose-derived stem cell extracellular vesicles, a tissue repair matrix comprising the bionanoparticles, and methods of use thereof for enhanced tendon healing.

The present invention contemplates compositions, devices and methods of simulating biological fluids in a fluidic device, including but not limited to a microfluidic chip. In one embodiment, fluid comprising a colloid under flow in a microfluidic chip has a fluid density or viscosity similar to a bodily fluid, e.g. blood, lymph, lung fluid, or the like. In one embodiment, a fluid is provided as a Theologically biomimetic blood surrogate or substitute for simulating physiological shear stress and cell dynamics in fluidic device, including but not limited to immune cells.

Disclosed is a method for rapidly amplifying CD8+T cells and functional cell subpopulations thereof in vitro. A TLR1/2 agonist, a TLR2/6 agonist and a TLR5 agonist or a combination of above agonists is added to a conventional culture system for in-vitro amplification of CD8+T cells. Recombinant cytokines IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15 as well as magnetic beads coated with an anti-human CD3 antibody and an anti-human CD28 antibody can be further added to the culture system for continuous co-stimulation.

An in vitro microfluidic intestine on-chip is described herein that mimics the structure and at least one function of specific areas of the gastrointestinal system in vivo. In particular, a multicellular, layered, microfluidic intestinal cell culture, which is some embodiments is derived from patient's enteroids-derived cells, is described comprising L cells, allowing for interactions between L cells and gastrointestinal epithelial cells, endothelial cells and immune cells. This in vitro microfluidic system can be used for modeling inflammatory gastrointestinal autoimmune tissue, e.g., diabetes, obesity, intestinal insufficiency and other inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders. These multicellular-layered microfluidic intestine on-chips further allow for comparisons between types of gastrointestinal tissues, e.g., small intestinal duodenum, small intestinal jejunum, small intestinal ileum, large intestinal colon, etc., and between disease states of gastrointestinal tissue, i.e. healthy, pre-disease and diseased areas. Additionally, these microfluidic gut-on-chips allow identification of cells and cellular derived factors driving disease states and drug testing for reducing inflammation.

The disclosure provides means of treating autoimmunity through reprogramming of antigen presenting cells in an individual in need of treatment through administration of fibroblasts and/or derivatives of fibroblasts. In one embodiment, fibroblasts are administered in an allogeneic manner subsequent to modification which endows fibroblast ability to alter antigen presenting cells in a manner which supports the generation of immunological tolerance as opposed to immunological rejection. In one embodiment, fibroblasts are utilized to decrease costimulatory molecule expression on antigen presenting cells, in order to allow for production of antigen-specific immunological tolerance promoting cells.

The present invention relates to a method for inducing differentiation of bone marrow cells into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) by treating the bone marrow cells with a toll-like receptor agonist (TLR agonist) or type I interferon, or for inducing dendritic cells from the MDSCs.

The present disclosure relates to compositions, nucleic acid constructs, methods and kits thereof for cell induction or reprogramming cells to the dendritic cell state or antigen presenting cell state, based, in part, on the surprisingly effect described herein of novel use and combinations of transcription factors that permit induction or reprogramming of differentiated or undifferentiated cells into dendritic cells or antigen presenting cells. Such compositions, nucleic acid constructs, methods and kits can be used for inducing dendritic cells in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo, and these induced dendritic cells or antigen presenting cells can be used for immunotherapy applications.

The disclosure relates to an ex vivo generated population of educated macrophages specific to LPS and methods of making and using such macrophages.