There are provided to a Rag-2 (Recombination activating gene 2) gene targeting vector, a method for producing SCID-like miniature pigs introduced with the vector, and a use thereof.

A selection method of an iPS cell includes: at a reprogramming process to culture a cell including a plurality of combinations of initializing factors labelled with luminescent genes that are different with each other, acquiring a photon number per unit area or a photon number per unit time of each of the luminescent genes of the cell; judging whether the acquired photon number is more than a threshold that is predetermined for the acquired photon number; and when the acquired photon number is more than the threshold, selecting this cell as an objective cell for a next process.

A method of producing induced pluripotent stem cells including a step for introducing an initialization factor into somatic cells of a mammal, and culturing in a neural stem cell culture medium to obtain induced neural stem cell-like cells, and a step for cultivating said induced neural stem cell-like cells in a growth medium to obtain induced pluripotent stem cells, wherein the initialization factor contains an OCT family, a SOX family, a KLF family, a MYC family, a LIN28 family and a P53 function inhibitor.

The present invention pertains to a method for producing induced pluripotent stem cells, and more specifically, to a method for producing induced pluripotent stem cells using RNA nanoparticles for cell transformation, wherein: cell transformation can be effectively performed without genetic modification by producing induced pluripotent stem cells using self-assembled RNA nanoparticles including at least one RNA selected from the group consisting of messenger RNA for expressing transcription factors which induce somatic cells and adult stem cells to be dedifferentiated into induced pluripotent stem cells, micro RNA facilitating the dedifferentiation process, and small interfering RNA; the production efficiency of iPSCs can be maximized by adjusting structural properties and activity; and low gene loading efficiency can be overcome by applying an infinite replication process to incorporate high concentrations of RNA in RNA nanoparticles.

The invention relates to induced pluripotent stem cells that are generated from cells, for example Adult Stem Cells, that are conditionally-immortalisable. In particular, the invention relates to induced pluripotent stem cells generated from stem cell lines comprising a controllable transgene for conditional immortalisation, and the progeny of those induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells, progeny cells derived from those pluripotent cells, compositions comprising those cells, methods of making all of those cells, and uses of all of those cells are also described.

The present invention relates to iPSC produced from fibroblast obtained from a subject affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder entailing intellectual disability (ID) and/or a disorder belonging to the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Schizophrenia (SZ) and uses thereof. The present invention also relates to a cortical neural progenitor cell or a terminally differentiated cortical glutamatergic or gabaergic neuronal cell or a neural crest stem cell line, a mesenchymal stem cell line produced from the iPSC or iPSC line. The invention also relates to method for identifying a compound for the treatment and/or prevention of a neurodevelopmental disorder entailing intellectual disability (ID) and/or a disorder belonging to the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Schizophrenia (SZ) and to a LSD1 inhibitor or a HDAC2 inhibitor for use in the treatment of such disorders.

The present invention relates to stem cells derived from a multi-layered cellular structure or blastocyst structure, compositions comprising the same, and methods for obtaining the same.

The present invention relates to a cell therapeutic agent comprising a stem cell expressing Lin28, a pharmaceutical composition comprising a stem cell expressing Lin28 for the prevention or treatment of a neurological disorder, a bone disorder, a muscular system disorder, an epithelium-related disorder or a blood-related disorder, and a method for treating a neurological disorder, a bone disorder, a muscular system disorder, an epithelium-related disorder or a blood-related disorder using the composition. A stem cell excellent in terms of differentiation potency to various tissue cells and renewal ability can be prepared by introducing Lin28, which regulates an embryonic development procedure, or a vector expressing Lin28 during stem cell culturing, and by culturing the cell.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for reprogramming somatic cells using purified RNA preparations comprising single-strand mRNA encoding an iPS cell induction factor. The purified RNA preparations are preferably substantially free of RNA contaminant molecules that: i) would activate an immune response in the somatic cells, ii) would decrease expression of the single-stranded mRNA in the somatic cells, and/or iii) active RNA sensors in the somatic cells. In certain embodiments, the purified RNA preparations are substantially free of partial mRNAs, double-stranded RNAs, un-capped RNA molecules, and/or single-stranded run-on mRNAs.

The present invention relates to the production of avian induced pluripotent stem cells from non-pluripotent somatic cells, including embryonic fibroblasts and adult somatic cells. In this method, avian (including quail or chicken) somatic cells are reprogrammed into a state closely resembling embryonic stem cells including the expression of key stem cell markers alkaline phosphatase, etc. by transfecting/transducing the non-stem cells with genes (preferably using a non-integrating vector as otherwise described herein or alternatively an integrating vector, such a lentiviral vector, retroviral vector or inducible lentiviral vector, among others) which express at least nanog, Lin28 and cMyc. In preferred aspects of the invention, the transfected/transduced vectors express nanog, Lig28, cMyc, Oct 4 (POU5F1 or PouV), SOX2 and KLF4. The induced stem cells which are produced contribute to all 3 germ layers, the trophectoderm and in certain aspects, the gonad in chimeric offspring.