Abstract: Disclosed is a therapeutic agent effective for the fundamental treatment of a spinal cord injury and a demyelinating disease. Specifically disclosed are a therapeutic agent for a spinal cord injury and a therapeutic agent for a demyelinating disease, each of which comprises an HGF protein as an active ingredient.

Abstract: A method for differentiating a human differentiated cell-derived pluripotent stem cell into a neural stem cell is provided, which includes the steps of: making an embryoid body from the human differentiated cell-derived pluripotent stem cell; and culturing the embryoid body in a medium containing LIF to differentiate into a neural stem cell, so that, when the neural stem cell is allowed to differentiate in vitro after multiple subculturing of the neural stem cell, it differentiate mainly into neurons but substantially not into glial cells.

Abstract: In order to provide a method for producing neural stem cells easily and quickly by inducing differentiation of somatic cells directly into neurospheres, dedifferentiation factors are introduced into somatic cells, which are then cultured in suspension in the presence of growth factors to produce the neurospheres, thereby allowing the neural stem cells to be produced quickly without establishing iPS cells.

Abstract: In order to provide a therapeutic agent for nerve injury which contains iPS-derived neural stem cells and has low or no risk of side effects, as well as a method for treating a nerve injury using the iPS cells, by efficiently establishing in vivo the iPS-derived neural stem having low or no risk of tumor formation, neurospheres are formed following formation of embryoid bodies from the iPS cells, and a clone whose ratio of cells in which the promoter of Nanog gene is activated is 0.01% or less is selected, and the clone is administered to a patient suffering from the nerve injury.

Abstract: An agent for promoting neuronal differentiation of a neural stem/progenitor cell includes an inhibitor of function of a COUP-TFI protein and/or a COUP-TFII protein. To promote neuronal differentiation of a neural stem/progenitor cell, the agent is administered to the neural stem/progenitor cell to inhibit function of a COUP-TFI protein and/or a COUP-TFII protein.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for introducing a gene into an embryo for production of a human disease model primate animal using a non-human primate animal such as a marmoset. The present invention relates to a method for introducing a foreign gene into an early embryo of a non-human primate animal, which comprises placing early embryos of a non-human primate in a 0.2 M to 0.3 M sucrose solution, so as to increase the volume of the perivitelline spaces, and then injecting a viral vector containing a human foreign gene operably linked to a promoter into the perivitelline spaces of the early embryos.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide methods for highly enriching human mesenchymal stem cells from a cell population containing the human mesenchymal stem cells. To highly enrich human mesenchymal stem cells, CD271+CD90+ cells are recovered by using flow cytometry etc. from a cell population containing the human mesenchymal stem cells. If the cell population contains blood cells (as in the case of a cell population prepared from a bone marrow, a peripheral blood etc.), CD45?CD235a?CD271+CD90+ cells are recovered. These cell fractions contain with high purity the mesenchymal stem cells having self-renewal capability, self-replicating capability and pluripotency. Therefore, human mesenchymal stem cells can be highly enriched by recovering CD271+CD90+ cells from the cell population containing the human mesenchymal stem cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recombinant HSV having the ability to specifically kill tumor cells such as human glioma cells in vivo, useful and safe for treating human glioma, etc. and that can easily put to clinical use. A new recombinant HSV, KeM345, is constructed by inserting a ?34.5 gene transcription unit, which is expressed by Musashi1 promoter, into a ribonucleotide reductase gene site of the genome of a herpes simplex virus (HSV) previously attenuated, by means of homologous recombination and obtained as a purified strain. Since KeM345 is a recombinant virus itself, it can not only induce viral proliferation by being transmitted to culture cells but can also induce viral replication equivalent to that of wild-type HSV, showing an excellent cytotoxic effect (cytolytic ability) selectively upon a malignant glioma.

Abstract: Methods for enhancing survival and/or proliferation of neural stem cells and pharmaceutical compositions containing neural stem cells prepared by such methods, together with methods for assaying factors enhancing survival and/or proliferation of neural stem cells and methods for screening for such factors. Either Galectin-1 is overexpressed in neural stem cells or neural stem cells are cultured in a liquid medium containing Galectin-1. Pharmaceutical compositions containing Galectin-1-overexpressing neural stem cells and pharmaceutical composition containing Galectin-1, prepared by the aforementioned methods, improve higher cerebral functions damaged by cerebral ischemia.

Abstract: A method for creating a monkey model of spinal cord injury, which includes exposing the dura mater of the cervical cord of a monkey and applying a load on the dura mater; the thus-created monkey model of spinal cord injury; and a method for evaluating a therapeutic drug for spinal cord injury by use of this model. According to the present invention, it is possible to create a monkey which is close to the human and thus useful as a model of human spinal cord injury. This model enables proper evaluation of therapeutic effects of various drugs on spinal cord injury. Through use of this model, it has been confirmed for the first time that transplantation therapy of human neural stem cells is efficacious against spinal cord injury.

Abstract: For a method of inducing differentiation of cardiomyocytes from stem cells, a method is provided to induce efficiently and selectively differentiation of cardiomyocytes by such a method in which the stem cells are cultured to induce differentiation into cardiomyocytes in the presence of a substance that inhibits BMP signaling.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing the activator of the integrin signaling in neural stem cells or neural progenitors and the method for using the same. The activator of the integrin signaling comprises galectin-1 and can be used as a regulator that regulates maintenance, survival, or differentiation of a neural stem cells or a neural progenitor.

Abstract: Disclosed is a therapeutic agent effective for the fundamental treatment of a spinal cord injury and a demyelinating disease. Specifically disclosed are a therapeutic agent for a spinal cord injury and a therapeutic agent for a demyelinating disease, each of which comprises an HGF protein as an active ingredient.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide methods for inhibiting proliferation of neural stem cells, an agent for inhibiting proliferation of neural stem cells, and methods for using the same. According to the method of the present invention, a galectin-1 inhibitor such as anti-galectin-1 antibody and/or an integrin ?1 inhibitor such as anti-integrin ?1 antibody is administered to a human or a vertebrate other than human for inhibiting proliferation of neural stem cells. This method can be used for treatment of nerve injury and nerve tumors.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide detection methods of Notch signaling activation for detecting the activation of the Notch signaling in living cells simply and conveniently. The expression of a fluorescent protein Venus in a transgenic cell into which a vector having the fluorescent protein Venus gene which is controlled by the wild-type Hes-1 gene promoter has been introduced is compared with the expression of a fluorescent protein Venus in a transgenic cell into which a vector having the fluorescent protein Venus gene controlled by a mutated Hes-1 gene promoter which is not controlled by an activated Notch protein has been introduced, and a transgenic cell in which a signal by the expression of Venus introduced by the vector having the wild-type Hes-1 promoter is observed and in which a signal by the expression of Venus introduced by the vector having the mutated Hes-1 gene promoter which is not controlled by the activated Notch protein is not observed is identified.

Abstract: The present invention provides a therapeutic agent for a nerve injury and a method for treating a nerve injury. One aspect of the invention is the method for treating a nerve injury by administering to a patient with a nerve injury a therapeutic agent for a nerve injury containing a differentiated cell-derived pluripotent cell obtained by forced expression of reprogramming genes such as a combination of the Oct3/4 gene, Sox2 gene, Klf4, and c-myc gene. in a differentiated cell; or cells obtained by inducing the aforementioned differentiated cell-derived pluripotent cells to differentiate into an embryoid body or a neurosphere.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of separating multipotential neural progenitor cells from a mixed population of cell types. This method includes selecting a promoter which functions selectively in the neural progenitor cells, introducing a nucleic acid molecule encoding a fluorescent protein under control of said promoter into all cell types of the mixed population of cell types, allowing only the neural progenitor cells, but not other cell types, within the mixed population to express said fluorescent protein, identifying cells of the mixed population of cell types that are fluorescent, which are restricted to the neural progenitor cells, and separating the fluorescent cells from the mixed population of cell types, wherein the separated cells are restricted to the neural progenitor cells. The present invention also relates to an isolated human musashi promoter and an enriched or purified preparation of isolated multipotential neural progenitor cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recombinant HSV having the ability to specifically kill tumor cells such as human glioma cells in vivo, useful and safe for treating human glioma, etc. and that can easily put to clinical use. A new recombinant HSV, KeM345, is constructed by inserting a ?34.5 gene transcription unit, which is expressed by Musashil promoter, into a ribonucleotide reductase gene site of the genome of a herpes simplex virus (HSV) previously attenuated, by means of homologous recombination and obtained as a purified strain. Since KeM345 is a recombinant virus itself, it can not only induce viral proliferation by being transmitted to culture cells but can also induce viral replication equivalent to that of wild-type HSV, showing an excellent cytotoxic effect (cytolytic ability) selectively upon a malignant glioma.

Abstract: A therapeutic and/or preventive agent for inner ear disorders comprising an IL-6 antagonist, preferably an anti-IL-6R antibody, as an active ingredient.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of separating multipotential neural progenitor cells from a mixed population of cell types. This method includes selecting a promoter which functions selectively in the neural progenitor cells, introducing a nucleic acid molecule encoding a fluorescent protein under control of said promoter into all cell types of the mixed population of cell types, allowing only the neural progenitor cells, but not other cell types, within the mixed population to express said fluorescent protein, identifying cells of the mixed population of cell types that are fluorescent, which are restricted to the neural progenitor cells, and separating the fluorescent cells from the mixed population of cell types, wherein the separated cells are restricted to the neural progenitor cells. The present invention also relates to an isolated human musashi promoter and an enriched preparation of isolated multipotential neural progenitor cells.