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.

The invention relates to a method for culturing epithelial stem cells, isolated tissue fragments comprising the epithelial stem cells, or adenoma cells, and culturing the cells or fragments in the presence of a Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) inhibitor, a mitogenic growth factor, and a Wnt agonist when culturing epithelial stem cells and isolated tissue fragments. The invention further relates to a cell culture medium comprising a BMP inhibitor, a mitogenic growth factor, and a Wnt agonist, to the use of the culture medium, and to crypt-villus organoids, gastric organoids, pancreatic organoids, liver organoids, colon organoids, Barrett's Esophagus organoids, adenocarcinoma organoids and colon carcinoma organoids that are formed in the culture medium.

Modified cells comprising a transmembrane polypeptide comprising at least one extracellular target receptor-binding domain, a transmembrane domain and an intracellular domain, wherein said intracellular domain is not capable of transducing any signal are provided. Methods of inducing or inhibiting signaling by a target receptor in a target cell comprising contacting the target cell with a modified cell of the invention are also provided.

The present disclosure relates to a composition for promoting the production of stem cell-derived exosomes or increasing the stemness of stem cells. When the composition of the present disclosure is used in culturing stem cells, the stemness of stem cells and the yield of stem cell-derived exosomes are increased, and thus good-quality stem cells and stem cell-derived exosomes can be produced more efficiently, and accordingly, can be advantageously used in related research and development and commercialization.

The invention provides methods for differentiating stem cells along the pancreatic lineage as well as large scale culture methods. The present invention further provides pancreatic progenitor cells derived from stem cells to provide pancreatic cells to a subject.

The present invention encompasses albumin fusion proteins. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the albumin fusion proteins of the invention are also encompassed by the invention, as are vectors containing these nucleic acids, host cells transformed with these nucleic acids vectors, and methods of making the albumin fusion proteins of the invention and using these nucleic acids, vectors, and/or host cells. Additionally the present invention encompasses pharmaceutical compositions comprising albumin fusion proteins and methods of treating, preventing, or ameliorating diseases, disorders or conditions using albumin fusion proteins of the invention.

This disclosure provides a newly developed strategy and particular options for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into cells of the hepatocyte lineage. Many of the protocols are based on a strategy in which the cells are first differentiated into early germ layer cells, then into hepatocyte precursors, and then into mature cells. The cells obtained have morphological features and phenotypic markers characteristic of human adult hepatocytes. They also show evidence of cytochrome p450 enzyme activity, validating their utility for commercial applications such as drug screening, or use in the manufacture of medicaments and medical devices for clinical therapy.

This document provides methods and materials related to making and using differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells. For example, methods and materials for making differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells (e.g., insulin-producing cells) that do not form cancer cells within a mammal (e.g., a human), cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells, compositions containing cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells, and methods for using cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells (e.g., methods for using such cells to treat diabetes or to repair cardiovascular tissue) are provided.

A method of culturing human pluripotent stem cells to produce pancreatic lineage, the method comprising the steps of (a) culturing the stem cells in the presence of a chemically defined medium comprising an effective amount of FGF, Activin A, and BMP; (b) culturing the cells from step (a) in the presence of a chemically defined medium comprising an effective amount of insulin, transferrin, and selenium (ITS), and FGF; (c) culturing the cells from step (b) in the presence of a chemically defined medium comprising an effective amount of insulin, transferrin, and selenium (ITS), and Noggin-Nicotinamide-Retinoic acid; and (d) culturing the cells from step (c) in the presence of a serum free chemically defined medium (ITSFINE and Noggin) comprising an effective amount of ITS, FGF7, islet neogenesis associated peptide (INGAP), nicotinamide, and Exendin-4, wherein pancreatic lineage cells are produced, wherein the pancreatic lineage cells are insulin.sup.+ cells.

The present invention can provide a pharmaceutical composition for treating wound repair and a preparation method thereof. The pharmaceutical composition at least includes an extracellular vesicle, insulin, and a plurality of growth factors, wherein the concentration of the extracellular vesicle in the pharmaceutical composition is (57.533.79)10.sup.8 particles/mL; the concentration of the insulin in the pharmaceutical composition is 34,870.837,335.13 mU/L; these growth factors are ANGPTL4, HGF, G-CSF, PDGF-AA, VEGF-A, IL-18BPa, COMP, MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-10, and MMP-12; and the extracellular vesicle contains a CLU protein, a TIMP1 protein and a YWHAB protein.