Abstract: The present invention chiefly aims to provide a process for directly inducing cardiomyocytes from somatic cells without performing artificial gene transfer, a cardiomyocyte obtained thereby, and a composition comprising a combination of chemical compounds capable of using for the said process. The present invention can include a process for producing a cardiomyocyte by inducing differentiation directly from a somatic cell, the process comprising a step of culturing the somatic cell in the presence of a MEK inhibitor and a cAMP inducer, and a cardiomyocyte obtained thereby, and then a composition for producing a cardiomyocyte by inducing differentiation directly from a somatic cell, the composition comprising a MEK inhibitor and a cAMP inducer. The cardiomyocytes obtained according to the present invention are useful in regenerative medicine and the like.

Abstract: A welding jig including a first support member; a second support member; and a pressure adjusting mechanism. Wherein the first support member has a through hole through which a laser beam can pass, the second support member being configured to be insertable into and detachable from a hollow shaft core portion of a jelly roll type electrode assembly, and one end of the second support member supporting an electrode and a bottom of a battery can disposed on a side of one end of the jelly roll type electrode assembly. The pressure adjusting mechanism being configured to adjust a pressure applied between the first support member and the second support member, and the through hole being configured to allow the laser beam to weld the battery can and the electrode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method with which it is possible to directly induce nervous system cells efficiently and in a short amount of time. Because the method is easy to scale up and is not affected by the characteristics or background of the somatic cells used as material, the method enables the stable supply of nervous system cells. The nervous system cells obtained by the method are useful in various fields of research and healthcare.

Abstract: A welding method includes: arranging end portions of a first member and a second member next to each other facing an end surface of the end portions towards a laser device; performing rotational irradiation to the end surface of the end portions of the first member and the second member with laser light at a predetermined rotating diameter, wherein a spot diameter of the laser light is set to be equal to or larger than the rotating diameter, and wherein an irradiation region of the laser light by the rotational irradiation is set to extend over the first member and the second member.

Abstract: The cell treatment apparatus of the present disclosure is a cell treatment apparatus including: an observation unit; a laser emitter; and a controller. The controller includes at least one processor that is configured to detect, using image data that includes the cell captured by an observation unit and a learned model capable of detecting a target cell or a non-target cell, a target cell or a non-target cell in the image data; set a region where the target cell is present or a region where the non-target cell is not present as a laser irradiation region to be subjected to laser irradiation by the laser emitter, and apply a laser emitted from the laser emitter to the laser irradiation region in the cell culture tool to treat the target cell.

Abstract: A travel control system of an automated guided vehicle including, an actual guided-vehicle travel controller including an actual control program causing a plurality of actual guided vehicles to travel along a plurality of travel routes crossing one another in an actual conveyance area, a virtual guided-vehicle travel controller including a virtual control program causing a plurality of virtual guided-vehicles to travel by imitating a shape and a motion of the actual guided vehicles in a virtual conveyance area, a virtual guided-vehicle travel monitoring processor which, in a case of occurrence of a collision or stop abnormality by the virtual guided vehicles, detects and records the abnormal phenomenon, a monitoring-result output transmitter which outputs the detected abnormal phenomenon to outside, and an update-data input receiver which receives update data modified by referring to the output abnormal phenomenon from outside and finally reflects it in the actual control program.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell culture base that avoids contact between a photoresponsive layer and cells. The cell culture base of the present invention includes: a support layer; a photoresponsive layer; and a cell culture layer, wherein the photoresponsive layer is laminated on the support layer, the cell culture layer is laminated on the photoresponsive layer, the photoresponsive layer contains a photoresponsive substance that causes at least one of heat and change in magnetism by light irradiation, and the cell culture layer is capable of culturing cells.

Abstract: A laser processing machine including: a laser source that emits a laser beam; a polarization rotator unit; a beam rotator unit; a lens; and a controller, which apply the laser beam to a workpiece, the polarization rotator unit includes a wave plate and first actuator that rotates the wave plate, the beam rotator unit includes an optical system that adjusts an irradiation angle of the laser beam to the workpiece by making an incident laser beam eccentric to output and making the laser beam incident on the lens at a position eccentric from a central axis, a second actuator rotates the optical system, the lens condenses the laser beam on the workpiece, the controller controls a rotational speed ratio between the first actuator and the second actuator, and adjusts a polarized state of the laser beam by controlling the rotational speed ratio.

Abstract: The present invention is primarily directed to provide a new composition for a medium which can be used for differentiation induction from somatic cells to brown adipocytes. The present invention can include, for example, a composition for a medium used in differentiation induction from somatic cells to brown adipocytes, wherein the composition comprises the following seven components: a thyroid hormone receptor agonist, a glucocorticoid receptor agonist, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, insulin, an ascorbic acid derivative, albumin, and an antibiotic. According to the present invention, direct differentiation induction from somatic cells to brown adipocytes can be effectively performed. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively maintain brown adipocytes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell treatment apparatus that can improve the operating rates of an observation unit and a laser irradiation unit in the case of treating a plurality of cell culture vessels.

Abstract: The present invention is primarily directed to provide a new process capable of performing direct conversion of or induction from a somatic cell to brown adipocytes with low molecular weight compounds, without performing artificial gene transfer. The present invention includes, for example, a process for producing brown adipocytes by direct differentiation induction from somatic cells, comprising a step of culturing a somatic cell in a serum-free differentiation induction medium in the presence of a selective PPAR? agonist and a cAMP inducer. According to the present invention, direct conversion of or induction from somatic cells to brown adipocytes can be effectively performed without gene transfer. The brown adipocytes obtained by the present invention are useful as regenerative medicine, models of human brown adipocytes and human beige cells, and the like.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide a cell treatment apparatus and a method for treating cells that can suppress a variation of a treatment time of treating cells using laser light. The cell treatment apparatus of the present invention includes: a cell treatment chamber in which cells in a cell culture vessel are treated; an observation unit that can observe the cells; a laser projection unit that can project a laser image onto the cells; a laser moving unit that can move the laser projection unit; and a control unit. The laser projection unit includes: a laser light source; and a laser image generation portion that generates the laser image to be projected onto the cells from laser light oscillated from the laser light source. The control unit controls generation of the laser image by the laser image generation portion.

Abstract: In order to cut a plurality of clumps having an approximately uniform shapes and approximately uniform dimensions out of a cell aggregate which has proliferated and appropriately eliminate contamination with fragments of different shapes or dimensions, when cutting the clumps of approximately uniform shape out of the cell aggregate which has proliferated, cutting lines along which the clumps of a specific shape are cut out are set such that the area of a peripheral part of the cell aggregate which is not cut by the cutting line exceeds the surface area of one of the clumps, and the cell aggregate is cut by irradiating with laser light in such a way as to trace the cutting lines.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cell treatment apparatus capable of treating cells in a cell culture vessel. The cell treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a first region 1, a second region 3, and a third region 5. The first region 1 and the second region 3 are placed in succession. The first region 1 is a cell treatment chamber for treating cells. The cell treatment chamber can be closed from the outside of the cell treatment chamber and includes a culture vessel placement portion for placing a cell culture vessel. The second region 3 includes: a laser irradiation device capable of irradiating the cell culture vessel placed in the culture vessel placement portion with a laser; and a spot diameter adjustment device that adjusts a spot diameter formed in a portion to be irradiated with the laser in an object to be irradiated.

Abstract: A cell treatment apparatus capable of treating cells in a cell culture vessel. The cell treatment apparatus (100) according to the present invention includes a first region (1), a second region (3), and a third region (5). The first region (1) and the second region (3) are placed in succession. The first region (1) is a cell treatment chamber for treating cells. The cell treatment chamber can be closed from the outside of the cell treatment chamber and includes a culture vessel placement portion for placing a cell culture vessel. The second region (3) includes a laser irradiation device capable of irradiating the cell culture vessel placed in the culture vessel placement portion with a laser. The third region (5) includes a control device that controls at least one device in the cell treatment apparatus (100) and a power supply device (52) that supplies electric power to at least one device in the cell treatment apparatus (100).

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing: a method for producing brown adipocytes, osteoblasts, cartilage cells, neural cells, or cardiac cells from somatic cells without performing artificial gene transfer; brown adipocytes, osteoblasts, cartilage cells, neural cells, or cardiac cells; or a composition including a combination of chemical substances that can be used for the aforementioned production method. An example of the present invention is a method for producing brown adipocytes, osteoblasts, cartilage cells, neural cells, or cardiac cells including a step for culturing somatic cells in the presence or absence of an inhibitor or activator selected from the group consisting of an ALK5 inhibitor, an ALK6 inhibitor, an AMPK inhibitor, a cAMP activator, an ALK2 inhibitor, an ALK3 inhibitor, a GSK3 inhibitor, and an Erk inhibitor.

Abstract: A cell treatment system includes an analysis unit to calculate the area or size of each of cell aggregates existing on the cell culture vessel based on an image; a display device to show the area or size of each of the cell aggregates on a display; a laser irradiator to emit laser toward the cell culture vessel so as to kill cells existing on the cell culture vessel; an input device to receive an operation input designating cells to be killed with irradiation of the laser or cells to survive without the irradiation of the laser among the cells existing on the cell culture vessel, or an operation input designating a position to be irradiated with the laser or a position not to be irradiated with the laser on the cell culture vessel; and a control unit to control a position irradiated with the laser.

Abstract: A cell culture instrument configured to detach cells at a desired position and a cell processing method using the cell culture instrument. The cell culture instrument includes: a substrate; and a photoreactive layer having a photosolubility and a photothermal convertibility, wherein the photoreactive layer is laminated on the substrate, and the photoreactive layer includes a polymer having a photosolubility and a photothermal convertibility.

Abstract: It is a main object of the present invention to provide a new producing method capable of efficiently performing direct conversion or induction from a somatic cell to an insulin-producing cell. The present invention can include, for example, a process for producing an insulin-producing cell by direct differentiation induction from a somatic cell, comprising a step of culturing a somatic cell in a serum-free differentiation induction medium, or a step of culturing a somatic cell in a differentiation induction medium containing 5 ?g/mL or more of insulin. According to the present invention, insulin-producing cells having a high insulin secretion ability can be produced directly and efficiently from a somatic cell. The insulin-producing cells obtained according to the present invention are useful in regenerative medicine and the like.

Abstract: It is a main object of the present invention to provide a process for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell without performing artificial gene transfer, an insulin-producing cell obtained from the process, or a composition comprising a combination of chemical substances that can be used for the process. The present invention can include, for example: a process for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell by direct differentiation induction, comprising a step of culturing a somatic cell in the presence of an RSK inhibitor; an insulin-producing cell obtained from the process; and a composition for producing an insulin-producing cell from a somatic cell by directly inducing differentiation, comprising an RSK inhibitor. The insulin-producing cells obtained according to the present invention are useful in regenerative medicine and the like.