Disclosed are methods for making a vascularized hollow organ derived from human intestinal organoid (HIOs). The HIOs may be obtained from human embryonic stem cells (ESC's) and/or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), such that the HIO forms mature intestinal tissue. Also disclosed are methods for making a human intestinal tissue containing a functional enteric nervous system (ENS).

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method which enables convenient preparation of cells exhibiting functions close to that of intestinal epithelial cells of living bodies, and use of the method. The differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into intestinal epithelial cells is induced by step of differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells into endoderm-like cells; step of differentiating the endoderm-like cells obtained in step into intestinal stem cell-like cells; and step of differentiating the intestinal stem cell-like cells obtained in step into intestinal epithelial cell-like cells, wherein step includes culture in the presence of a MEK1 inhibitor, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, a TGF-β receptor inhibitor, and EGF and under the condition that cAMP is supplied to the cells.

The instant disclosure is directed to a method for vascularizing a pancreatic islet comprising culturing the pancreatic islet or β-cells with an endothelial cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an ETV2 transcription factor under conditions wherein the endothelial cell expresses the ETV2 transcription factor. The instant disclosure is further directed to a method for making a vascularized β-cell organoid comprising culturing the pancreatic islet or β-cells with an endothelial cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an ETV2 transcription factor under conditions wherein the endothelial cell expresses the ETV2 transcription factor. Disclosed also are vascularized islets and vascularized β-cell organoids produced by the methods of the instant disclosure, as well as methods for using the same.

An ex vivo tissue composition comprising an isolated tissue explant and tissue graft is provided. Methods of making and using the tissue composition are also provided.

Provided are a culture medium and cultivation method of rapidly expanding primary cells of esophageal squamous carcinoma in vitro, and the use thereof in screening drugs. The culture medium comprises an initial culture medium selected from DMEM/F12, DMEM, F12, or RPMI-1640, a Rho protease inhibitor, an antibiotic, insulin, an N2 additive, insulin-like growth factor 1, a non-essential amino acid, and optionally, hydrocortisone, optionally, glutamine, and optionally, bovine pituitary extract.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing an intestinal epithelial cell, which has a large number of cells per area and a high accuracy of kinetic prediction for a CYP3A4 substrate drug such as midazolam, by inducing the differentiation of a pluripotent stem cell, as well as the intestinal epithelial cell, a cell sheet, an evaluation method for a test substance, a screening kit for a test substance, and a cell preparation. According to the present invention, there is provided a production method for an intestinal epithelial cell, including a first differentiation step of differentiating a pluripotent stem cell into an intestinal stem cell, a proliferation step of proliferating the intestinal stem cell obtained in the differentiation step, and a second differentiation step of differentiating the intestinal stem cell obtained in the proliferation step into an intestinal epithelial cell, in which the proliferation step is a step of bringing the intestinal stem cell into a specific state.

The subject matter disclosed herein is generally directed to modulation of genes and pathways that drive differentiation of LGR5+ stem cells. The methods and compositions can be used to treat diseases associated with aberrant epithelial barrier function.

A device for simulating a function of a tissue includes a first structure, a second structure, and a membrane. The first structure defines a first chamber. The first chamber includes a matrix disposed therein and an opened region. The second structure defines a second chamber. The membrane is located at an interface region between the first chamber and the second chamber. The membrane includes a first side facing toward the first chamber and a second side facing toward the second chamber. The membrane separates the first chamber from the second chamber.

Disclosed are methods of assessing the ability of a candidate therapeutic agent to reverse, reduce or prevent intestinal injury by a potential toxic agent using a three-dimensional, engineered, bioprinted, biological intestinal tissue model. Also disclosed are methods of assessing the effect of an agent on intestinal function, the method comprising contacting the agent with a three-dimensional, engineered, bioprinted, biological intestinal tissue model.

Provided are new strategies, methods and systems, described herein as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-assisted air-liquid-interface (ALI) culture, to significantly increase the number of enteroendocrine (EEC) and enterochromaffin (EC) cells over the traditional submerged culture, while at the same time maintaining a high barrier integrity of monolayers. The new strategies, methods and systems overcome the limitations of the existing EEC enrichment methods by maintaining high cell viability and barrier integrity and without requiring complicated procedures of cocultures or genetic engineering/induction. The created EEC-enriched, contiguous monolayer platform acts as a robust analytical tool to enable functional studies of hormone secretion from EEC cells with high signal background ratio and repeatability.