Provided herein are methods and compositions for the production of hepatocytes from placenta stem cells. Further provided herein is the use of such hepatocytes in the treatment of, and intervention in, for example, trauma, inflammation, and degenerative disorders of the liver. Also provided herein are compositions and methods relating to combinations of nanofibrous scaffolds and adherent placental stem cells and methods of using the same in cartilage repair. Finally, provided herein are compositions and methods relating to nonadherent, CD34.sup.+CD45.sup. stem cells from placenta.

The invention relates to a method of producing a retinal pigment epithelial cell from a human pluripotent stem cell, and a method of treating or preventing a retinal disease by using the produced cell. The retinal pigment epithelial cell is prepared by (a) inducing differentiation of a human pluripotent stem cell into a pigment cell by adhesion cultivation of a human pluripotent stem cell in a medium containing a Nodal signal inhibitor and a Wnt signal inhibitor in the absence of a feeder cell to give a culture containing the pigment cell, (b) subjecting the obtained culture to further adhesion culture to give a culture containing a pigment cell colony, and (c) isolating the pigment cell from the obtained culture and culturing the cell to give a retinal pigment epithelial cell.

Provided herein are methods and compositions for the production of hepatocytes from placenta stem cells. Further provided herein is the use of such hepatocytes in the treatment of, and intervention in, for example, trauma, inflammation, and degenerative disorders of the liver. Also provided herein are compositions and methods relating to combinations of nanofibrous scaffolds and adherent placental stem cells and methods of using the same in cartilage repair. Finally, provided herein are compositions and methods relating to nonadherent, CD34.sup.+CD45.sup. stem cells from placenta.

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to the delivery of electrical stimuli via cell-penetrating nanoelectrodes. Such electrical stimuli leads to differentiation of cells, including but not limited to adipose derived stem cells, to neural lineage, specifically to neural cells.

There has been demand for an additional method for producing antibodies. The present invention provides: a polymer-coated crosslinked alginate gel fiber in which a core layer containing a crosslinked alginate gel and either antibody-producing cells (e.g., antibody-producing CHO cells) or bioactive-substance-producing cells (e.g., MIN6 cells derived from pancreatic ? cells) is coated with a cationic polymer; and a method for producing antibodies, a bioactive substance, etc., using the fiber.

The present invention relates to methods of generating oligodendroglial lineage cells from human cells selected from the group consisting of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and fibroblasts. The invention furthers relates to methods of screening for a compound promoting oligodendroglial differentiation and/or maturation, specifically to high throughput methods. In addition, the invention relates to cells obtainable by these methods and use of these cells in therapy.

Disclosed are stem cells having a thin multilayer structure, a method of preparing the same, and use thereof for cytotherapy. In accordance with the present invention, stem cells with a thin multilayer structure having improved stability and controlled multifunctionality are provided. A method of preparing the stem cells having the thin multilayer structure according to the present invention is very simple, and thus, the stem cells having the thin multilayer structure can be produced at low cost and high efficiency. Therefore, the stem cells having the thin multilayer structure prepared according to the present invention are very useful as a stem cell therapy agent for treating various diseases.

A cell culture method includes performing adherent culture of cells on a coat layer layered on a surface of a cell culture container by placing a culture medium and the cells in the cell culture container. The coat layer includes a layer (i) that includes a layer (i-1) including gelatin or casein and a layer (i-2) that includes a polycationic material and a layer (ii) that is layered on the layer (i) and includes a cell adhesion factor. The layer (ii) is disposed at a position at which the layer (ii) comes into contact with the cells, or the coat layer includes the layer (i) and the layer (i) is disposed at a position at which the layer (i) comes into contact with the cells, and the culture medium includes the cell adhesion factor.

Provided herein, in some embodiments, are methods comprising culturing human brain tissue spheroids on a three-dimensional scaffold in culture media comprising vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and producing a population of cells, wherein cells of the population are positive for nestin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and/or vimentin.

Provided are a support for culturing cells, a method of preparing the support, and a method of culturing cells using the support. When the support and the methods are used, an adherence rate, a surface area, and a proliferation rate of cells may improve, and detachment of the cells may be facilitated, thereby increasing a cell recovery rate. In addition, a physiologically active substance may be slowly released, thereby reducing the cost for a cell culture process.