The present invention relates to a method for the generation of functional skeletal muscle fibers innervated by motoneurons, from pluripotent stem cells.

The present invention provides a technique that serves as a platform for inducing human organ cells at a low cost, stably and in a large quantity. A cell inducible after differentiating pluripotent stem cells and then passaging the resultant cells at least once or more times, which is negative for undifferentiated (pluripotent) cell markers NANOG, OCT4, MYC and LIN28A, negative for endoderm cell markers CXCR4, CER1, HHEX and GATA4, positive for intestinal endoderm cell markers CDX2 and HOXB9, negative for a mesenchymal cell marker brachyury (T), negative for a pancreatic cell marker PDX1, and capable of differentiating into at least a hepatocyte, a pancreatic cell and an intestinal cell. Also provided are methods of preparing and amplifying the above cells; a method of preparing organ cells using the above cells; and a method of constructing a working cell bank for preparing organ cells, comprising cryopreserving the above cells.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a medium composition for cell culture, and a method of manufacturing a crushed stem cell extract using a method of manufacturing a medium composition for cell culture and a 3-low extracting method of active ingredients of a stem cell. The medium composition for cell culture includes a basal medium; a hyaluronic acid; and an additive composition. According to an embodiment, when active ingredients of a stem cell are extracted, a stem cell is crushed at a 3-low circumstance of low temperature, low pressure, a hypotonic circumstance.

Disclosed herein are induced hepatocytes from a trophoblast stem cell, methods for inducing the cells, and compositions thereof. Also disclosed herein are methods of treating a disease or disorder (e.g., liver-associated) by utilizing an induced hepatocyte disclosed herein.

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 invention is directed to methods for culturing cells so that the cells are induced to differentiate into cells that express a hepatic stellate phenotype and cells that express a hepatic sinusoidal endothelial phenotype. The invention is also directed to cells produced by the methods of the invention. The cells are useful, among other things, for treatment of liver deficiency, liver metabolism studies, and liver toxicity studies.

A somatic stem cell that is CD10+, CXCR4+, and CD31+ and another somatic stem cell that is CD105+, CD44+, and nestin+. Also disclosed are both a method of preparing these stem cells and a method of using them to treat degenerative diseases, e.g., a muscle-degenerative disease. The invention further includes making and using liver cells derived from the somatic cell that is CD105+, CD44+, and nestin+.

Provided is an aptamer including a polynucleotide of any of the following (a) to (c) and capable of binding to an HGF receptor to exhibit an activity of inhibiting the binding of HGF to the HGF receptor. (a) A polynucleotide consisting of a base sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, (b) A polynucleotide consisting of a base sequence having the deletion, substitution, insertion and/or addition of one to several bases in the base sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, and (c) A polynucleotide consisting of a base sequence having a sequence identity of 80% or more to the base sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1.

The present invention provides cell populations that are enriched for mesendoderm and mesoderm, and cell populations that are enriched for endoderm. The cell populations of the invention are useful for generating cells for cell replacement therapy. The present invention further provides a method of generating hepatocytes, cell populations enriched for hepatocytes, and a method of hepatocyte replacement therapy.

The present invention provides methods to promote the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. In particular, the present invention provides an improved method for the formation of pancreatic endoderm, pancreatic hormone expressing cells and pancreatic hormone secreting cells. The present invention also provides methods to promote the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells without the use of a feeder cell layer.