The invention discloses a device and method for producing and purifying exosomes from progenitor cells using a closed and sterile circuit having a pumping means and a plurality of serially connected processing stations.

Disclosed herein are contractile cell constructs, methods for using them to treat disease, and methods for making them.

It is provided a method of expanding dendritic (DC) cells and/or natural killer (NK) cells in vivo in a patient comprising the steps of producing a graft of stem and progenitor cells cultured with UM171 or analogues therefrom and expanded before being administered to the patient. The expansion or increase in dendritic (DC) cells and/or natural killer (NK) cells population in the patient results in an increase immune response reducing transplant related mortality (TRM), severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), relapse, and/or severe viral infections.

This disclosure relates to methods of generating pacemaker cells for use in therapeutic strategies that address a heart that beats abnormally. In certain embodiments, one mixes cells with an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation inhibitor in combination with a nucleic acid encoding a transcription factor such as a vector that encodes a transcription factor such as Tbx18 in operable combination with a eukaryotic promoter to produce pacemaker cells that are then transplanted into the heart.

Disclosed herein are contractile cell constructs, methods for using them to treat disease, and methods for making them.

According to the invention fibroblast-like cells obtained from heart muscle biopsies, which are CD90 negative, CD105 positive, CD117 negative and/or CD166 positive as well as cell preparations of such cells for therapy of heart diseases as well as a method for providing the latter are disclosed. The cells according to the invention are characterized by a good cultivability in cell culture. Furthermore a method for obtaining the cells and cell preparations according to the invention are disclosed.

Loss of cardiomyocytes underlies most causes of heart failure, and normal repair processes are inadequate to deal with extensive myocardial damage. The inventors have identified mutations of the N-terminus of serum response factor (SRF)'s MADS box, termed STEMINs, that block cardiac differentiation, but also powerfully activate the stem cell marker genes Nanog and Octomer 4, as well as cyclins, which promotes adult myocyte replication. SRF Stemin mutations are not cardiac-specific, and also propel mammalian fibroblasts into a proliferative state. Thus, STEMINs may be useful for regeneration of all tissue and organ types, by activating partial pluripotency programs and enhancing repair by increased cell replication. Following withdrawal of STEMINs, the cells then return to normal cell identity.

Disclosed herein are contractile cell constructs comprising contractile cells, or progenitors thereof, adhered to a surface of a three dimensional fibroblast containing scaffold (3DFCS) and methods for using them to treat disease. In one aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing a contractile construct, comprising (a) seeding immature contractile cells onto the surface of a three dimensional fibroblast containing scaffold (3DFCS) to produce a contractile construct; and (b) culturing the contractile construct under conditions to promote differentiation of the immature contractile cells into mature contractile cells, wherein the mature contractile cells form striations. In a further aspect, the invention provides methods for treating a disorder characterized by a lack of functioning contractile cells, comprising contacting a patient with a contractile cell-based disorder with an amount effective to treat the disorder with the construct of any embodiment or combination of embodiments of the invention.

The present disclosure pertains to compositions suitable for use in differentiating cardiac progenitor cells to cells that resemble cardiac Purkinje cells. Additional embodiments pertain to methods of generating such differentiated cardiac cells by exposing cardiac progenitor cells to the compositions. The present disclosure also pertains to methods of treating or preventing a cardiovascular disease in a subject by administering the compositions or differentiated cardiac cells to the subject. Further embodiments pertain to methods of generating a cardiac tissue by exposing cardiac progenitor cells to a composition of the present disclosure and associating the cardiac progenitor cells with a tissue scaffold. The present disclosure also pertains to the use of the differentiated cardiac progenitor cells to assess the efficacy of one or more compounds in the treatment or prevention of a cardiovascular disease. The present disclosure also pertains to the differentiated cardiac cells and cardiac tissues that include them.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stem cell applicable to regenerative therapeutic method, and to provide a technique to carry out regenerative therapy using the cell. A collected cardiac tissue fragment is enzymatically treated to prepare a cell suspension. Then using the cell suspension, following steps are carried out: (1) separation of cells by the density gradient method, (2) suspension-culture in a culture medium containing fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor and (3) selection and separation of cells forming a floating sphere to obtain pluripotent stem cells. Thus-obtained pluripotent stem cells are used to carry out regenerative therapy.