Methods, kits, compositions, and systems are provided for culturing pluripotent stem cells to produce populations of cells comprising beta-like cells (e.g., pancreatic lineage, glucose-responsive, and/or insulin-producing). In particular, culture conditions are provided that result in the generation of beta-like cells from a starting culture of human pluripotent stem cells.

A method for the ex vivo cultivation of oral mucosal epithelial progenitor cells and oral mucosal epithelial cells includes: subjecting an oral mucosal tissue to an enzymatic digestion treatment with collagenase, so as to obtain cell aggregates which include oral mucosal epithelial progenitor cells and oral mucosal epithelial cells; cultivating the cell aggregates with an amniotic membrane in a serum-free platelet lysate-containing medium in the absence of feeder cells, so that the cell aggregates are adhered onto the amniotic membrane; and subsequently cultivating the cell aggregates adhered on the amniotic membrane in a serum-free proliferation-facilitating medium in the absence of feeder cells.

The present invention provides a method for producing a human cell aggregate containing a midbrain-hindbrain boundary neural progenitor tissue, including subjecting an aggregate of human pluripotent stem cells to suspension culturing in a serum-free medium containing insulin, and treating, in the suspension culturing, the aggregate of human pluripotent stem cells or a human cell aggregate derived therefrom with a ROCK inhibitor, a TGFβ signal inhibitor, and a first fibroblast growth factor. Furthermore, the human cell aggregate containing the midbrain-hindbrain boundary neural progenitor tissue is subjected to suspension culturing in a serum-free medium to induce formation of a neuroepithelial structure by neural progenitor in the neural progenitor tissue, whereby the human cell aggregate containing the cerebellar plate tissue can be obtained.

A method of generating human mature oligodendrocytes is disclosed. The method comprises contacting a cell population which comprises human pre-oligodendrocytes with an inhibitor of the MAPK/ERK pathway under conditions that allow the pre-oligodendrocytes to differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes. Use of the MAPK/ERK pathway inhibitor for treating diseases is also disclosed.

Provided herein are methods for obtaining tumor-targeting T cells, as well as for identifying tumor-targeting TCRs.

The present disclosure provides methods for generating an in vitro model of cholestatic liver disease and uses of the same. In some embodiments, the methods involve an in vitro culture system for producing hepatocyte-like cells from pluripotent stem cells.

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a process for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell without performing artificial gene transfer, an insulin-producing cell obtained from the process, or a composition comprising a combination of chemical substances that can be used for the process. The present invention can include, for example: a process for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell by direct differentiation induction, comprising a step of culturing a somatic cell in the presence of an RSK inhibitor; an insulin-producing cell obtained from the process; and a composition for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell by directly inducing differentiation, comprising an RSK inhibitor. The insulin-producing cells obtained according to the present invention are useful in regenerative medicine and the like.

Described herein are cell culture media and/or cell culture media supplements that comprise at least one GSK3 inhibitor, a ROCK inhibitor, and one or more mitogenic growth factors, and methods of culturing and/or expanding pluripotent stem cells in 3D culture formats in the compositions described herein.

A chemically defined medium for differentiation of muscle stem cells in vitro, namely a serum-free, more efficient and inexpensive chemically defined medium for inducing differentiation of muscle stem cells in vitro. Compared with an existing general muscle stem cell differentiation medium, using the chemically defined medium can increase the relative expression of myogenin genes by 4.48 times on the 2.sup.nd day of differentiation, increase the relative expression of myosin heavy chain genes by 55.28 times on the 6.sup.th day, and increase the percentage of cell differentiation from 34.94% to 57.93% in the terminal differentiation stage, and more, thicker and longer muscle fibers are formed through induced differentiation. The chemically defined differentiation medium further improves the differentiation efficiency of muscle stem cells, and provides a more efficient and inexpensive method for differentiation of muscle stem cells into myotubes, and for 3D culture of muscle stem cells to produce cell cultured meat.

A population of early-stage burst-forming unit-eryhtoid (BFU-E) cells characterized by low expression of the Type III Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor (TGFRPIII) and uses thereof for producing red blood cells in vitro, genotoxicity analysis of chemicals, drug sensitivity assessment, and drug development. Also described herein are methods for producing the population of early-stage BFU-E cells and methods for producing red blood cells.