The present disclosure relates to methods of preparing cell-based products for human consumption, in particular, from populations of such cell types as hepatocytes, adipocytes, myoblasts, and/or fibroblasts.

The invention relates to a method for inducing pluripotent stem cells, wherein a mammalian cell is contacted with a compound characterized by a general formula 1 wherein R.sup.1 is (CH.sub.2).sub.mE, with E being CCH or CN and m being 0, 1, or 2, and R.sup.2 is selected from F, CI, Br, OR.sup.3 and R.sup.3, with R.sup.3 being selected from H, (CH.sub.yF.sub.2-y).sub.n CH.sub.XF.sub.3-X, with n=0 or 1. The invention further relates to stem cells obtained by the method of the invention, and culture media comprising the compound of the invention.

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.

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.

Myocardial stem/progenitor cells can be maintained by culturing primary cardiomyocytes in the presence of a ROCK inhibitor. Furthermore, fibrosis is suppressed by allowing cardiomyocytes cultured in the presence of these low molecular weight compounds or an exosome or secretome derived from the cardiomyocytes to act on cardiac fibroblasts.

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

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

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 respose 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.

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.

Disclosed is a method for producing a high-quality graft from pluripotent stem cell-derived differentiation-induced cells, a graft produced by using the method, and a method for treating a disease using the graft are described Embodiments of a method for producing a graft are described, which include a step of performing an operation for removing undifferentiated cells in a cell population containing pluripotent stem cell-derived differentiation-induced cells, optionally a step of freezing the cell population and thereafter thawing the cell population, and a step of seeding the obtained cell population on a culture substrate and performing graft-forming culture.