The present invention provides a composition having a metabolism-improving action, which comprises a supernatant of brown adipocytes or a purified product thereof. The present invention also provides a method of preparing the supernatant without using a culture solution comprising a high concentration of glucose. The present invention also provides a method of producing brown adipocytes using pluripotent stem cells, which are useful for preparing the supernatant of brown adipocytes. The present invention has succeeded in obtaining a supernatant having a metabolism-improving action from brown adipocytes. It was also possible to obtain the supernatant without using a culture solution comprising a high concentration of glucose. The present invention has also succeeded in producing brown adipocytes from pluripotent stem cells using a feeder-free culture system without adding a cytokine cocktail or the like. The brown adipocyte supernatant of the present invention is expected to be applied to the development of therapeutic agents and cosmetic products for glucose metabolism diseases.

Devices and systems for cell culture that include one or more hollow fibers or channels integrated into a chamber are provided. The hollow fibers or channels and/or the chamber are seeded with one or more cell types. Methods of co-culturing two or more cell types in the devices are also provided.

Provided are skin constructs and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and/or compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, immune response, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics.

Provided are live, artificial, skin substitute products and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics.

Stem cell conditioned media and methods of producing the same to treat mammalian injuries or insults. In at least one embodiment of a method of producing a stem cell conditioned media of the present disclosure, the method comprises the steps of culturing at least one stem cell in a first cell culture medium, replacing some or all of the first cell culture medium with a second cell culture medium and further culturing the at least one stem cell in the second cell culture medium, and collecting a quantity of the second cell culture medium after a culture duration, wherein the quantity of the second cell culture medium contains a cell culture byproduct effective to treat a mammalian insult or injury. A stem cell culture supernatant containing at least one factor capable of exerting effective neuroprotection to treat a mammalian neural injury or insult.

Provided herein is a three-dimensional co-culture of adipocytes and macrophages, wherein, in a hydrogel scaffold containing adipocytes and macrophages, the adipocytes and the macrophages are co-cultured to form a fat-like tissue, which can be then utilized in the studies and medicine development for treating metastatic diseases associated with adipose tissue.

Provided herein is a three-dimensional co-culture of adipocytes and macrophages, wherein, in a hydrogel scaffold containing adipocytes and macrophages, the adipocytes and the macrophages are co-cultured to form a fat-like tissue, which can be then utilized in the studies and medicine development for treating metastatic diseases associated with adipose tissue.

Provided are live, artificial, skin substitute products and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics. Described herein is an artificial mammalian skin substitute product, comprising: (a) optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, a first (hypodermis-like) layer comprising live mammalian adipocytes (e.g., induced pre-adipocytes) in a first hydrogel carrier; (b) a second (dermis-like) layer contacting or directly contacting the first layer and comprising live mammalian fibroblast cells and' live mammalian follicle dermal papilla cells in combination in a second hydrogel carrier; (c) a third (epidermis-like) layer contacting or directly contacting the second layer (i.e., on the opposite side thereof as the first layer, so that the second layer is sandwiched between the first and third layers when the first layer is present), the third layer comprising live mammalian keratinocytes and live mammalian melanocytes in combination in a third hydrogel carrier.

Methods of producing stem cell conditioned media to treat mammalian injuries or insults. In at least one embodiment of a method of producing a stem cell conditioned media of the present disclosure, the method comprises the steps of culturing at least one stem cell in a first cell culture medium, replacing some or all of the first cell culture medium with a second cell culture medium and further culturing the at least one stem cell in the second cell culture medium, and collecting a quantity of the second cell culture medium after a culture duration, wherein the quantity of the second cell culture medium contains a cell culture byproduct effective to treat a mammalian insult or injury.

Described are three-dimensional, engineered, biological breast tissues, adipose tissues, and tumor models, including breast cancer models.