Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods and synthetic regulatory systems for more efficient nuclease-mediated homology-directed repair (HDR). In particular, provided herein are methods for more efficient in vivo and in vitro HDR-based gene editing where the methods comprise introducing into a cell a synthetic regulatory system comprising Cas nuclease, guide RNAs (gRNAs) having various lengths and configured to target distinct nucleotide sequences for simultaneous transcriptional repression (or activation) and genome editing via double stranded break and use of a donor nucleic acid molecule as a template for repair.

The present invention chiefly aims to provide a process for directly inducing cardiomyocytes from somatic cells without performing artificial gene transfer, a cardiomyocyte obtained thereby, and a composition comprising a combination of chemical compounds capable of using for the said process. The present invention can include a process for producing a cardiomyocyte by inducing differentiation directly from a somatic cell, the process comprising a step of culturing the somatic cell in the presence of a MEK inhibitor and a cAMP inducer, and a cardiomyocyte obtained thereby, and then a composition for producing a cardiomyocyte by inducing differentiation directly from a somatic cell, the composition comprising a MEK inhibitor and a cAMP inducer. The cardiomyocytes obtained according to the present invention are useful in regenerative medicine and the like.

Described herein are methods relating to the differentiation of stem cells to more differentiated phenotypes, e.g. to terminally differentiated cell types and/or precursors thereof. In some embodiments, the methods relate to contacting the stem cells with differentiation factors and halting the cell cycle, thereby increasing the rate of differentiation.

A method for preparing mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes on the basis of drug pretreatment, the method for preparing mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes comprising: using a statin to pretreat mesenchymal stem cells, and culturing the treated mesenchymal stem cells to collect exosomes secreted thereby. Also provided is an application of a statin in preparing a preparation for promoting the anti-apoptotic abilities and/or homing abilities of mesenchymal stem cells; and further provided is an application of a statin in preparing a preparation for promoting mesenchymal stem cells to secrete exosomes having myocardial infarction microenvironment-improving effects and/or myocardial repair abilities.

Disclosed herein are compositions and formulations containing a TATk-CDKL5 fusion protein. Also disclosed are methods of producing a TATk-CDKL5 fusion protein from vectors containing a TATk-CDKL5 cDNA and methods of transducing cells with the vectors containing a TATk-CDKL5 cDNA and the TATk-CDKL5 fusion protein

Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods and synthetic regulatory systems for more efficient nuclease-mediated homology-directed repair (HDR). In particular, provided herein are methods for more efficient in vivo and in vitro HDR-based gene editing where the methods comprise introducing into a cell a synthetic regulatory system comprising Cas nuclease, guide RNAs (gRNAs) having various lengths and configured to target distinct nucleotide sequences for simultaneous transcriptional repression (or activation) and genome editing via double stranded break and use of a donor nucleic acid molecule as a template for repair.

Disclosed herein are methods of genome alteration, in particular genome editing in eukaryotic cells (e.g., mammalian cells), preferably, but not exclusively the integration of exogenous nucleic acids into the genome of a cell or a population of cells. Such methods include the modulation of cell cycle phases via external conditions such as physical separation, temperature, exposure to certain substances such as cell cycle modulators. Genome alteration is also effected via the use of enzymes such as nucleases and nickases and/or the modulation of DNA repair pathways.

The present invention provides a method for increasing the expression of MAFA in cells expressing markers characteristic of the pancreatic endocrine lineage comprising the steps of culturing the cells expressing markers characteristic of the pancreatic endocrine lineage in medium comprising a sufficient amount of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor to cause an increase in expression of MAFA.

A gene knockin method and a kit for gene knockin are provided. The method comprises (a) introducing a RNA-guided endonuclease that cleaves the chromosome at the insertion site into the cell; (b) introducing a guide RNA into the cell; and (c) introducing a donor plasmid into the cell, wherein the donor plasmid comprises the donor sequence flanked with a 5 homology arm and a 3 homology arm, a 5 flanking sequence upstream of the 5 homology arm, and a 3 flanking sequence downstream of the 3 homology arm, wherein the 5 homology arm is homologous to a 5 target sequence upstream of the insertion site on the genome and the 3 homology arm is homologous to a 3 target sequence downstream of the insertion site on the genome, wherein the guide RNA recognizes the insertion site, the 5 flanking sequence, and the 3 flanking sequence, wherein the RNA-guided endonuclease cleaves the donor plasmid at the 5 flanking sequence and the 3 flanking sequence, thereby producing a linear nucleic acid, wherein the donor sequence is inserted in to the genome at the insertion site through homology-directed repair.

The present invention relates to directed differentiation and maturation of hepatocyte-like cells. In particular, the present invention relates to exposure of hepatocyte-like cells to an activator of a retinoic acid responsive receptor, such as retinoic acid (RA), optionally in combination with an inhibitor of GSK-3 (Glycogen synthase kinase 3) or activator of Wnt signalling and/or with the overlay of the cells with one or more components characteristic of the mammalian extracellular matrix (matrix overlay). The present invention also relates to exposure of hepatocyte-like cells to an activator of a retinoic acid responsive receptor, such as retinoic acid (RA), optionally in combination with an inhibitor of a cycline dependent kinase (CDK) and/or with the overlay of the cells with one or more components characteristic of the mammalian extracellular matrix (matrix overlay). The hepatocyte-like cells obtained in accordance with the present invention show a phenotype which is more similar to that of primary hepatocytes than previously shown.