A method of obtaining a neural multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell, comprising: i) providing a cell of a first type which is not a neural multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell; ii) introducing into the cell of a first type an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell, wherein the agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA is a histone acetylator, an inhibitor of histone deacetylation, a DNA demethylator, and/or a chemical inhibitor of DNA methylation; iii) increasing directly or indirectly the endogenous expression of at least one neural multipotent or unipotent gene regulator in the cell of a first type, to a level at which the gene regulator is capable of driving transformation of the cell of a first type into the neural multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell, wherein the gene regulator is Msi1, Ngn2, Sox2, Ascl1, Zic1 or a combination thereof; and iv) placing or maintaining the cell in a neural cell culture medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the reprogramming agent for a sufficient period of time to allow a neural multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell to be obtained.

An in vitro human neural multipotent, unipotent, or somatic cell possessing all of the following characteristics: is derived from the reprogramming of a somatic cell, a progenitor cell or a stem cell that exhibits at least a transient increase in intracellular levels of at least one reprogramming agent; is not differentiated from a pluripotent cell; expresses one or more markers of a multipotent, unipotent or somatic cell not characteristic of a neural stem cell, neural precursor cell, neural progenitor cell, neuroblast, or neuron; is not a cancerous cell; is stable and not artificially maintained by forced gene expression and may be maintained in standard neural stem cell media or neural media; and does not exhibit uncontrolled growth, teratoma formation, and tumor formation in vivo; wherein the cell comprises at least one polypeptide or an expression vector encoding at least one polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: Musashi1 (Msi1); Ngn2; Msi1 and Ngn2; Msi1 and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2); Ngn2 and MBD2; Msi1, Ngn2 and MBD2; Achaete-Scute Homolog 1 (Ascl1); Msi1, Ngn2 and Ascl1; Msi1, Ngn2, MBD2 and Ascl1; Sox2; Msi1, Ngn2 and Sox2; and Msi1, Ngn2, MBD2 and Sox2; wherein the expression vector is transiently expressed.

A method of obtaining a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell, comprising: i) providing a cell of a first type which is not a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell; ii) introducing into the cell of a first type an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell, wherein the agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA is a histone acetylator, an inhibitor of histone deacetylation, a DNA demethylator, and/or a chemical inhibitor of DNA methylation; iii) introducing into the cell of a first type a reprogramming polypeptide and/or a polynucleotide encoding said reprogramming polypeptide, wherein the reprogramming polypeptide comprises Mesp1, Brachyury (T), Nkx2.5, and/or Tbx5; and iv) placing or maintaining the cell in a cardiac cell culture medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the reprogramming polypeptide or the polynucleotide encoding the reprogramming polypeptide for a sufficient period of time to allow a cardiac multipotent or unipotent cell to be obtained.

The present invention provides for identification and use of small molecules to induce pluripotency in mammalian cells as well as other methods of inducing pluripotency.

This document provides methods and materials related to making and using differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells. For example, methods and materials for making differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells (e.g., insulin-producing cells) that do not form cancer cells within a mammal (e.g., a human), cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells, compositions containing cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells, and methods for using cells that underwent guided differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells (e.g., methods for using such cells to treat diabetes or to repair cardiovascular tissue) are provided.

The present invention provides for identification and use of small molecules to induce pluripotency in mammalian cells as well as other methods of inducing pluripotency.

The present invention provides for identification and use of small molecules to induce pluripotency in mammalian cells as well as other methods of inducing pluripotency.

The slow kinetics and low efficiency of reprogramming methods to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) impose major limitations on their utility in biomedical applications. Here we describe a chemical approach that dramatically improves (>200 fold) the efficiency of iPSC generation from human fibroblasts, within seven days of treatment. This will provide a basis for developing safer, more efficient, non-viral methods for reprogramming human somatic cells.

The present disclosure relates to a preparation of CD140a/PDGFR positive cells that comprises oligodendrocyte progenitor cells co-expressing OLIG2 and CD140a/PDGFR. The preparation of cells is derived from pluripotent cells that were derived from skin cells, fibroblasts, umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, bone marrow, or other somatic cells. The cell preparation has an in vivo myelination efficiency that is equal to or greater than the in vivo myelination efficiency of a preparation of A2B5+/PSA-NCAM-sorted fetal human tissue derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Methods of making, isolating and using the disclosed cell preparation are also described.

A method of obtaining a pluripotent-like multipotent cell, including providing a cell of a first type which is not a pluripotent-like multipotent cell; contacting the cell of a first type with an agent capable of remodeling the chromatin and/or DNA of the cell; transiently increasing expression of at least one pluripotent gene regulator in the cell of a first type, to a level at which the at least one pluripotent gene regulator is capable of driving transformation of the cell of a first type into the pluripotent-like multipotent cell; and placing or maintaining the cell in a differentiation medium and maintaining intracellular levels of the at least one pluripotent gene regulator for a sufficient period of time to allow a stable pluripotent-like multipotent cell to be obtained; wherein the pluripotent-like multipotent cell so obtained does not exhibit teratoma formation in vivo.