Embodiments described herein relate to a method for preparing cultured cells, the method comprising: obtaining kidney tissue from a human subject; mechanically dissociating the tissue; subjecting the tissue to enzymatic digestion; incubating the tissue with media in a cell culture plate to form cultured cells.

The technology relates in part to methods and compositions for ex vivo proliferation and expansion of epithelial cells.

A production method for an organoid, the production method including a step of culturing adult stem cells or a cell tissue piece including adult stem cells in a medium containing a chimeric Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) that includes a partial region of FGF1 and a partial region of FGF2; an organoid produced by the production method; a medium including a chimeric FGF and having a content of chimeric FGF of 50 ng/mL or less; and an evaluation method for a test substance are provided, and according to the chimeric FGF, a content of growth factors included in a medium can be reduced.

Provided is a method for isolating a ureteric bud tip cell from cells, a tissue, or an organoid comprising the ureteric bud tip cell, comprising the following steps of contacting the cells, tissue, or organoid comprising the ureteric bud tip cell with a very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDL-R) binding agent, and isolating the ureteric bud tip cell using the binding agent as an indicator.

The invention is directed to methods for culturing cells so that the cells are induced to differentiate into cells that express a hepatic stellate phenotype. The invention is also directed to cells produced by the methods of the invention. The cells are useful, among other applications, for treatment of liver deficiencies, liver metabolism studies, and liver toxicity studies, fibrogenic studies, or to support hepatocyte function in co-culture setting.

In some aspects, disclosed herein are methods and compositions for treatment or prevention of cerebral palsy using fibroblasts or derivatives thereof. Disclosed herein are fibroblasts and derivatives thereof capable of inducing neurogenesis and/or reducing inflammation in a subject. In some cases, the disclosed methods comprise use of conditioned fibroblasts. Fibroblasts may be conditioned with agents capable of enhancing therapeutic efficacy, for example oxytocin and/or human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).

Disclosed herein are methods and materials for transdifferentiating mesenchymal stem cells into neural progenitor cells.

Methods for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to dorsal neuroectoderm progenitors and further to glial progenitor cells and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) using inhibitors of BMP signaling and MAPK/ERK signaling are provided. Also provided are cells and cellular compositions obtained by such methods, and uses of such cells. Further provided are methods and protocols for efficiently differentiating human pluripotent stem cells to OPCs in the absence of the ventralizing morphogen SHH or a SHH signaling activator. The methods of the present disclosure reproducibly produce dorsal neuroectoderm progenitor cells by day 7 of the differentiation process, glial progenitor cells by day 21 of the differentiation process and OPCs by day 42 of the differentiation process.

The invention relates to placenta-derived matrix, methods of preparing, and methods of use thereof. The invention also relates to methods of culturing cells, delivering cells, promoting differentiation of stem cells or tissue-specific progenitor cells, and repairing, replacing, regenerating, filling, reducing or inhibiting scarring of defects using the same. The invention further relates to methods of coating placenta-derived matrix on a surface or injecting the placenta-derived matrix into a site of interest.

The present invention relates to the field of stem cells. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods for using optogenetics to sustain the pluripotency of stem cells. In one embodiment, a vector comprises a nucleotide sequencing encoding a fusion protein comprising the intracellular domain of fibroblast growth factor 1 receptor (FGFR1) and a photoactivatable domain.