The present invention contemplates dendritic cell compositions. The dentritic cell compositions employ MHC class-II targeting signals fused to an antigen or fragment thereof to obtain MHC II presentation of the antigen or fragment thereof. In particular, the invention refers to a dendritic cell vaccine comprising dendritic cells expressing a MHC class-II targeting signal fused to an antigen or fragment thereof. Dendritic cell vaccines for the stimulation of an immune response against melanoma-associated antigen are also described.

A 3D decellularized bone scaffold seeded with cancer cells, such as prostate cancer cells or Ewing's sarcoma is provided. The three-dimensional includes Ewing's sarcoma (ES) tumor cells; and an engineered human bone scaffold. The engineered human bone scaffold further includes osteoblasts that secrete substance of the human bone, and osteoclasts that absorb bone tissue during growth and healing. The engineered human bone scaffold includes the tissue engineered three-dimensional model which recapitulates the osteolytic process. The engineered human bone scaffold is engineered by co-culturing of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The osteoblast is produced by cell differentiation process from mesenchymal stem cells. The osteoclast is produced by cell differentiation from human monocytes, wherein the human monocytes are isolated from buffy coats. The scaffold can be used with cancer cell lines to identify therapeutic targets to slow, stop, and reverse tumor growth and progression as well as to predict the efficacy of potential therapeutics.

The present invention relate to autologous isolated unpolarized human macrophages for use in the treatment of liver disease and macrophages for use in a method of treating fibrosis in a human in need thereof.

The present invention relates to a method for producing natural killer cells using direct reprogramming, natural killer cells produced thereby, a biomarker specific to the natural killer cells, a cell therapeutic agent comprising the natural killer cells, a composition for treatment and prevention of cancer, a cryopreservation cell vial for storing the natural killer cells, and a medium kit for inducing the direct reprogramming. Exhibiting excellent proliferative potential and cancer cell killing potential, the natural killer cells produced by the production method can be effectively utilized for mass production and in a composition for treatment and prevention of cancer.

Provided is a method for the selective differentiation into M1 macrophages under a pressurized environment, and more particularly, a method for the selective differentiation of undifferentiated macrophages into M1 macrophages, the method including incubating the undifferentiated macrophages in an incubator under the pressurized environment. In addition, provided is a method for producing osteoclasts, the method including: incubating undifferentiated macrophages in an incubator under a pressurized environment to differentiate into M1 macrophages; and differentiating the differentiated M1 macrophages into osteoclasts.

Described herein are methods for enhancing the nuclear reprogramming of somatic cells to become induced pluripotent stern cells. In particular, the methods disclosed herein involve the use of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMP). In certain embodiments the DAMPs are aluminum compositions such as aluminum hydroxide. Such DAMPs have unexpectedly and surprisingly been found to enhance the nuclear reprogramming efficiency of the reprogramming factors commonly used to induce somatic cells to become induced pluripotent stern cells. Accordingly, this disclosure describes methods of nuclear reprogramming as well as cells obtained from such methods along with therapeutic methods for using such cells for the treatment of disease amendable to treatment by stem cell therapy; as well as kits for such uses.

Disclosed are methods for diagnosing Parkinson's disease, or identifying a risk of developing Parkinson's disease, comprising measuring the amount of a biomolecule in a blood sample, liver sample, or hepatocyte. Also disclosed are methods for preventing or treating Parkinson's disease, comprising administering a therapeutically effective plurality of hepatocytes to a subject in need thereof.

The invention relates to progenitor cells of mesodermal lineage and their use in therapy.

The invention provides a method for the generation of a layered cellular 3 D microtissue aggregate, comprising the steps of contacting myeloid cells with a protein kinase C agonist, yielding primed myeloid cells; incubating the primed myeloid cells in the presence of LDL in a confined volume, particularly in a hanging drop culture; yielding a 3 D culture of myeloid cells; and incubating the 3 D culture together with fibroblasts in a hanging drop in the presence of LDL, yielding the layered cellular aggregate.

This invention provides a method for preparing dendritic cells from monocytes using a platelet lysate. This invention also provides a method for preparing cytotoxic dendritic cells from monocytes comprising performing non-adhesion culture of monocytes separated from the peripheral blood using a serum-free medium containing a human platelet lysate (HPL), GM-CSF, and PEGylated interferon and performing further non-adhesion culture with the addition of prostaglandin E2 and OK432.