The present invention provides a novel repair agent for damaged tissue that brings about a notably high effect of repairing damaged tissue, as compared with conventional repair agents for damaged tissue, and a method for producing such a repair agent. A method for producing a repair agent for damaged tissue of the present invention includes the step of culturing mesenchymal stem cells in a serum-free medium at an oxygen concentration of less than 5%.

A method for producing renal stromal cells, comprising a step (3) of culturing renal stromal precursors in a medium comprising a platelet derived growth factor receptor agonist to obtain renal stromal cells is provided as a technique for supplying renal stromal cells. This production method can further comprise a step (2) of inducing renal stromal precursors from neural crest cells, and a step (1) of culturing pluripotent stem cells in a medium comprising a GSK3β inhibitor, a TGFβ inhibitor, and retinoic acid and/or a derivative thereof to induce neural crest cells.

This disclosure relates to methods of making vascular smooth muscle like cells from precursor stem cells. In certain embodiments the vascular smooth muscle like cells are able to contract in response to vasoactive agents, In certain embodiments, the methods comprise contacting pluripotent stem cells with a mesoderm induction growth medium, followed by replicating the cells in a serum-free vascular smooth muscle cell growth medium in the presence of collagen, and purifying replicated cells that express cadherin-2. In certain embodiments, the purified cells are used to treat or prevent a cardiovascular disease or condition.

A medium for stem cells according to the present invention contains at least one of carboxymethyl cellulose and polyvinylpyrrolidone as a water-soluble polymer. The content of carboxymethyl cellulose in the medium is preferably such that the final concentration thereof is 0.001 μg/mL to 1 mg/mL. The content of polyvinylpyrrolidone in the medium is preferably such that the final concentration thereof is 0.05 μg/mL to 2 mg/mL.

Methods for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to dorsal neuroectoderm progenitors and further to glial progenitor cells and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) using inhibitors of BMP signaling and MAPK/ERK signaling are provided. Also provided are cells and cellular compositions obtained by such methods, and uses of such cells. Further provided are methods and protocols for efficiently differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to OPCs in the absence of the ventralizing morphogen SHH or a SHH signaling activator. The methods of the present disclosure reproducibly produce dorsal neuroectoderm progenitor cells by day 7 of the differentiation process, glial progenitor cells by day 21 of the differentiation process and OPCs by day 42 of the differentiation process.

The present disclosure relates to methods, cell culture medium and compositions that promote cell proliferation during fetal bovine serum free cell culture.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a serum-free medium suitable for culturing of DS cells. The present invention relates to a serum-free medium for culturing of DS cells containing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), or to a method for culturing of dermal sheath (DS) cells, using serum-free medium comprising PDGF.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for preparing in vitro models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and more particularly of liver steatosis and fibrosing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

This invention provides populations of neural progenitor cells, differentiated neurons, glial cells, and astrocytes. The populations are obtained by culturing stem cell populations (such as embryonic stem cells) in a cocktail of growth conditions that initiates differentiation, and establishes the neural progenitor population. The progenitors can be further differentiated in culture into a variety of different neural phenotypes, including dopaminergic neurons. The differentiated cell populations or the neural progenitors can be generated in large quantities for use in drug screening and the treatment of neurological disorders.

The invention provides isolated stem cells of non-embryonic origin that can be maintained in culture in the undifferentiated state or differentiated to form cells of multiple tissue types. Also provided are methods of isolation and culture, as well as therapeutic uses for the isolated cells.