This invention provides a system for efficiently producing differentiated cells from pluripotent cells, such as human embryonic stem cells. Rather than permitting the cells to form embryoid bodies according to established techniques, differentiation is effected directly in monolayer culture on a suitable solid surface. The cells are either plated directly onto a differentiation-promoting surface, or grown initially on the solid surface in the absence of feeder cells and then exchanged into a medium that assists in the differentiation process. The solid surface and the culture medium can be chosen to direct differentiation down a particular pathway, generating a cell population that is remarkably uniform. The methodology is well adapted to bulk production of committed precursor and terminally differentiated cells for use in drug screening or regenerative medicine.

Disclosed are a multilayered cell sheet of cardiac stem cells (CSCs) and a method of manufacturing the same. In particular, the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a multilayered cell sheet according to a single step culture procedure by using, as a three-dimensional matrix, a biodegradable natural polymer hydrogel and embedding CSCs in the hydrogel. The multilayered cell sheet of the present disclosure does not require any special device for the manufacturing, is manageable with good physicomechanical property, increases a cell engraftment rate after transplantation based on sufficient accumulation of various growth and protective factors and extracellular matrix between cells, and is also self-assembled by the cell-mediated hydrogel compaction, making nutrients transfer easy. Therefore, the multilayered cell sheet of the CSCs is expected to be usefully applicable as a therapeutic agent for myocardium regeneration.

Disclosed herein are cell cultures and enriched cell populations of endocrine precursor cells, immature pancreatic hormone-expressing cells and mature pancreatic hormone-expressing cells. Also disclosed herein are methods of producing such cell cultures and cell populations.

The present invention describes methods and processes for the production of proteins by animal cell or mammalian cell culture. In one aspect, the methods comprise the growth of cells in a growth factor/protein/peptide free medium. In another aspect, the methods comprise the addition of growth factors during the production phase. The methods sustain a high viability of the cultured cells, and can yield an increased end titer of protein product, and a high quality of protein product.

Methods of preparing ovarian tissue for primordial follicle growth are presented comprising the steps: providing an ovarian tissue sample comprising cortical tissue and stromal tissue; removing damaged tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; removing excess stromal tissue from the ovarian tissue sample where present; and then mechanically stretching the ovarian tissue sample along at least one dimension of the ovarian tissue sample, such that the size of the ovarian tissue sample along the at least one dimension is increased by at least 10%. Methods of growing viable oocyte in vitro, and methods of preparing individual ovarian follicles for growth are also presented.

Provided is a method for producing a cell population containing embryonic erythroblasts, including the steps of: (1) subjecting pluripotent stem cells to suspension culture to form a cell aggregate; and (2) obtaining the cell population from the cell aggregate obtained in step (1), step (2) including step (2a) of subjecting the cell aggregate to adhesion culture. In addition, provided are an embryonic erythroblast-containing cell population, a cell culture composition containing the cell population, and a compound test method that uses the embryonic erythroblast-containing cell population.

The invention relates to the discovery that the proliferation and survival of pancreatic progenitor cells can be enhanced by contacting the cells with, (1) a caspase inhibitor sufficient to reduce apoptosis in the pancreatic endocrine cells; and, (2) a growth factor in an amount sufficient to increase the level of activated Akt in the pancreatic endocrine cells.

Provided are pharmaceutical compositions that include a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and isolated post-natal cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) and/or progeny cells thereof that are SSEA3-positive and c-kit-negative. Also provided are methods for preparing cells capable of repairing damaged myocardium, methods for isolating populations of SSEA3-positive/c-kit-negative CPCs from cardiac tissue samples, methods for preparing an isolated cell population enriched in post-natal SSEA3-positive/c-kit-negative CPCs, therapeutic methods for using the presently disclosed cells and populations of cells to treat subjects in need thereof, and cell cultures that contain the presently disclosed cells and populations of cells.

Provided herein are methods of producing erythrocytes from hematopoietic cells, particularly hematopoietic cells from placental perfusate in combination with hematopoietic cells from umbilical cord blood, wherein the method results in accelerated expansion and differentiation of the hematopoietic cells to more efficiently produce administrable erythrocytes. Further provided herein is a bioreactor in which hematopoietic cell expansion and differentiation takes place.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides methods to prepare insulin secreting cells from a skin sample from a mammal.