Certain aspects of the current invention are directed to a reprogramming of somatic cells to provide therapeutic cells for treatment of diseases such as retinopathies. Certain aspects of the invention are directed to reprogramming compositions, as well as the use of such compositions, for reprogramming somatic cells, the compositions including five small molecules (5C) that can chemically induce conversion to other target cell types.

The present invention relates to methods for obtaining skeletal muscle derived cells (SMDC), and the use of SMDCs in a method of preventing and/or treating neuromyopathies and/or myopathies, wherein the neuromyopathy and/or myopathy is incontinence, in particular a urinary and/or an anal or fecal incontinence.

Provided is a method for increasing the proportion of memory T cells in a T cell population, said method comprising a step of adding a modulator for the retinoid metabolic pathway and/or a modulator for the retinoic acid signaling system to the T cell population.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of further increasing the absolute detection value and/or the ratio of the detection value to a reference in a pneumococcal antibody sample evaluation test, or a technique capable of evaluating pneumococcal antibody samples against a wider variety of pneumococcal strains.

The object is achieved by a medium for preparing a pneumococcal sample for use in a pneumococcal antibody sample evaluation test, the medium containing a solid medium,

Disclosed herein are methods for reprogramming a somatic cell into a pluripotent stem cell by contacting the somatic cell with one or more antifolate agents, with or without methionine, in vitro for a period of time sufficient to reprogramming the somatic cell and selecting and growing the cells that express one or more stem cell markers. Also disclosed are induced pluripotent stem cells obtained from somatic cells.

The present invention allows a TET1 protein to be more stably expressed in human pluripotent stem cells than in the past by, inter alia, substituting the second amino acid from the amino terminal of a TET1 protein with a different amino acid. Furthermore, upon differentiation of said pluripotent stem cells, it is possible to quickly eliminate the expression of, inter alia, NANOG, which is an inhibitor of differentiation and promote the expression of factors related to differentiation by introducing a variant TET1 protein to a pluripotent stem cell. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing pluripotent stem cells with increased differentiation potential, and a substance that is useful to said method.

The present invention relates to an extracellular matrix comprising ECM producer cells, a lysyloxidase (LOX), and bone morphogenetic protein-1 (BMP1), and its use for regulating the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and increasing the synthesis and/or deposit of collagen in an extracellular matrix. The present invention also relates to a method for obtaining said extracellular matrix comprising incubating cells in the presence of a composition comprising a lysyl oxidase, or a fragment thereof, and bone morphogenetic protein-1, or a fragment thereof.

The present invention provides methods for performing an imaging method to detect a moiety associated with labeled hydroxymethylated bases in nucleic acid sequences, such as detecting a moiety associated with glucosylated 5-hydroxmethylated cytosines.

The present invention provides for novel methods for regulating and detecting the cytosine methylation status of DNA. The invention is based upon identification of a novel and surprising catalytic activity for the family of TET proteins, namely TET1, TET2, TET3, and CXXC4. The novel activity is related to the enzymes being capable of converting the cytosine nucleotide 5-methylcytosine into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine by hydroxylation.

Provided herein are methods and kits for distinguishing 5-hydroxymethylcytosine from 5-methylcytosine.