The present invention aims to provide a method for preparing an RPE cell, and an RPE cell prepared by the method, and a reagent for producing an RPE cell which is suitable for the method. The method of the present invention includes the following step: a step of introducing, as exogeneous factors, MITF (Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor) gene or an expression product thereof, OTX2 (Orthodenticle homeobox 2) gene or an expression product thereof, LIN28 gene or an expression product thereof, and L-MYC gene or an expression product thereof into a mammalian somatic cell.

The current disclosure provides methods for reprogramming mammalian somatic cells by regulating the expression of endogenous cellular genes. Cellular reprogramming of somatic cells can be induced by activating the transcription of embryonic stem cell-associated genes (e.g., oct3/4) and suppressing the transcription of somatic cell-specific and/or cell death-associated genes. The endogenous transcription machinery can be modulated using synthetic transcription factors (activators and suppressors), to allow for faster, and more efficient nuclear reprogramming under conditions amenable for clinical and commercial applications. The current disclosure further provides cells obtained from such methods, along with therapeutic methods for using such cells for the treatment of diseases amendable to stem cell therapy, as well as kits for such uses.

Disclosed herein are methods to reliably and robustly generate a pure population of airway basal cells that are capable of producing a normal mucociliary epithelium. Such basal cells may be used to treat chronic respiratory diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma.

Described herein are methods and compositions related to generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Improved techniques for establishing highly efficient, reproducible reprogramming using non-integrating episomal plasmid vectors. Using the described reprogramming protocol, one is able to consistently reprogram non-T cells with close to 100% success from non-T cell or non-B cell sources. Further advantages include use of a defined reprogramming media E7 and using defined clinically compatible substrate recombinant human L-521. Generation of iPSCs from these blood cell sources allows for recapitulation of the entire genomic repertoire, preservation of genomic fidelity and enhanced genomic stability.

Embodiments disclosed here are production methods and compositions of engineered immune cells, such as B or T lymphocytes, from limited lineage myeloid progenitor cells, or from pluripotent stem cells, or from multilineage hematopoietic progenitor cells comprising the addition of various cell differentiation transcription factors and inhibiting epigenetic histone methylations in said cells.

The disclosure provides an episome comprising OCT4, KLF4, SOX2, cMYC, NANOG, LIN28, and NRSA2. Also disclosed is a method for producing an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell. The method comprises introducing an episome into a cell, wherein the episome comprises OCT4, KLF4, SOX2, cMYC, NANOG, LIN28, and NRSA2, and growing the cell under conditions to select for the presence of the episome. The method also comprises selecting a primary clone and growing the primary clone in a medium comprising a MEK inhibitor and a GSK3b inhibitor.

The invention provides cell culture conditions for culturing stem cells, including feeder-free conditions for generating and culturing human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). More particularly, the invention provides a culture platform that allows long-term culture of pluripotent cells in a feeder-free environment; reprogramming of cells in a feeder-free environment; single-cell dissociation of pluripotent cells; cell sorting of pluripotent cells; maintenance of an undifferentiated status; improved efficiency of reprogramming; and generation of a naïve pluripotent cell.

Methods and compositions relating to the production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are disclosed. For example, induced pluripotent stem cells may be generated from CD34.sup.+ hematopoietic cells, such as human CD34.sup.+ blood progenitor cells, or T cells. Various iPS cell lines are also provided. In certain embodiments, the invention provides novel induced pluripotent stem cells with a genome comprising genetic rearrangement of T cell receptors.

Provided herein are methods of obtaining induced pluripotent stem cells from cells of a hematopoietic lineage.

The invention relates generally to methods of generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not contain the reprogramming vector. In some embodiments, the invention relates to inducing pluripotency in somatic cells by introducing an episomal vector(s) comprising at least one expression cassette containing reprogramming factors and/or synthetic transcription factors and a suicide gene. In some embodiments, the invention relates to inducing pluripotency in somatic cells by introducing episomal vector(s) comprising expression cassettes containing reprogramming factors and/or synthetic transcription factors and a transcriptionally regulated EBNA-1 gene. In some embodiments, the invention relates to inducing pluripotency in somatic cells by introducing episomal vector(s) comprising expression cassettes containing reprogramming factors and/or synthetic transcription factors and both a suicide gene and a transcriptionally regulated EBNA-1 gene.