Abstract: According to the present invention, an AAV vector having a higher titer compared with those of conventional ones can be produced using a cell into which a nucleic acid capable of expressing miRNA is introduced artificially. An AAV vector produced using the cell and a composition containing the viral vector as an active ingredient are very useful as gene transfer means in the studies or clinical practice of gene therapies.

Abstract: Methods of determining whether an analyte is present in a sample using a competitive assay are provided. Aspects of the methods include employing a competitor that provides for the obtainment of signal which is directly proportional to the amount of analyte in the sample. Also provided are devices and kits that find use in practicing the methods described herein.

Abstract: A balloon can maintain a bent state even if a bent state-holding member is not used. A balloon includes two plastic films that are stacked and sealed at a peripheral edge. The balloon includes a first part, a second part, and a bending part that is situated between the first part and the second part. The bending part includes a gas passage through which the interior of the first part and the interior of the second part communicate with each other, and a bending sealed part that is formed by sealing the two plastic films situated opposite to each other in an inward area relative to the peripheral edge. An outer edge of the bending sealed part extends beyond the bending part so as to be situated within the first part and the second part.

Abstract: In the imaging space provided by a panoramic imaging apparatus, a phantom is arranged. The phantom is located to a predetermined tomographic plane and includes markers which image known positional information with an X-ray beam. The X-ray beam from an X-ray source is acquired as X-ray transmission data by a detector, and a panoramic image is produced using the data. Based on known positional information of the markers and information of marker positions in the panoramic image, distance information (Rs, Rd) between the X-ray tube and the detector and height information (B1) of the X-ray tube to the detector are calculated. From this calculated results and the acquired data, parameters (?x/?Fi, ?, ??/?Fi, D, A, CX, CY) defining positional relationships among the X-ray tube, the detector, and the tomographic plane are calculated such that amounts of changes in the position connecting the X-ray tube and the detector are considered in the parameters.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a virus vector, which involves a step of culturing a cell capable of producing the virus vector in a culture medium containing a retinoic acid compound, a histone deacetylase-inhibiting substance and a substance capable of forming a chelate; and a culture medium for use in the production of a virus vector, which is characterized by containing a retinoic acid compound, a histone deacetylase-inhibiting substance and a substance capable of forming a chelate as active ingredients.

Abstract: Provided are improved methods using Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitors by which endodermal cells, notably endodermal cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPS), such as but not limited to hiPS-cells and hES-cells may be differentiated into hepatocyte like cells. The specific modulation of wingless integration gene (WNT)-signalling pathway and use of GSK3 inhibitors achieve direct differentiation and maturation of hepatocytes derived from human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells. GSK-3 inhibitors, when added to the growth medium at certain developmental stages, leads to more mature and functional features for the hepatocyte like cells as well as more pure and homogenous populations of hepatocyte like cells. Provided are also hepatocyte like cells obtained by these methods as well as compositions comprising them.

Abstract: An X-ray detector is provided with a plurality of modules each having a plurality of detection elements each composing a pixel, in which the detection elements convert incoming radiations to electric data depending on amounts of the radiations. The plural modules are mutually adjacently arranged on the same surface with a gap having a known width formed therebetween, such that the modules are arranged along at least one of a first X-axis and a first Y-axis, wherein the radiation detector is given a scan direction which is set along one of the first X- and Y-axes and the first Y-axis is perpendicular to the first X-axis. The plural detection elements of each module are two-dimensionally arranged along a second X-axis and a second Y-axis which are set obliquely to the first X-axis and the first Y-axis respectively and which are perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for efficiently manufacturing a non-enveloped virus with high purity without laborious operation by cultivating cells having the ability to produce a non-enveloped virus and bringing the cells and an acidic solution into contact with each other. A non-enveloped virus vector manufactured by the method of the present invention and a composition having the non-enveloped viral vector as an active ingredient are very useful as gene transfer methods in the fields of basic research and clinical application gene therapy.

Abstract: There is provided a calibration apparatus used for a photon counting type of radiation detector. In this apparatus, a radiation condition of a radiation is set such that particles of the radiation (X-rays) which are incident on a plurality of detection modules are piled up over each other at a probability which is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Under the setting of this radiation condition, detection sensitivities for the radiation are made uniform among the plurality of detection modules. Using this uniformed result, the detection sensitivities for the radiation are further made uniform every channel of each of the pixels formed by circuit groups including the plurality of detection modules, discrimination circuits and data calculation circuits and every discrimination circuit in each channel.

Abstract: A radiation detecting apparatus includes a radiation detector, a power source, a current detector, and a bias voltage adjuster. The detector includes a semiconductor layer having a compound semiconductor directly converting incoming radiation photons to electric charges and a pair of electrode layers stacked individually on both surfaces of the semiconductor layer. One layer of the paired electrode layers has plural collecting electrodes which enable the semiconductor layer to have one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally arrayed pixels. The power source applies a direct-current bias voltage between the electrodes such that the electric charge is collected to one electrode of the electrodes. The current detector detects current supplied from the power source when the power source applies the bias voltage between the electrodes. The bias voltage adjuster changes a value of the bias voltage applied by the power source depending on a value of the current detected by the current detector.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and useful method for producing an RNA-containing probe for detecting a target nucleotide, a simple and useful method, device, and system for processing nucleotide sequence information, and a simple and useful method for detecting a target nucleotide. The present invention provides a method for processing nucleotide sequence information, the method comprising the step of generating partial nucleotide sequences which has 7 to 14 nucleotides and a Tm value of 25 to 40° C. and in which a target nucleotide or a nucleotide adjacent to the target nucleotide is located at a position between 3 and 5 nucleotides from the 3? or 5? end. The method according to the present invention is useful for simply and efficiently producing an RNA-containing probe for detecting a target nucleic acid, without the basis of researchers' experiences or guess, and are extremely useful not only in the field of genetic engineering, but also in the field of medical research.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cell which can express a non-natural oligomeric protein, which has, introduced therein, a gene encoding an exogenous polypeptide corresponding to at least one endogenous polypeptide constituting a natural oligomeric protein, and in which the expression of the endogenous polypeptide is inhibited.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of 3D culturing systems for the derivation of hepatocyte-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPS). In particular, the invention concerns the directed differentiation and maturation of human pluripotent stem cells into hepatocyte like cells in 3D hollow fiber capillary bioreactors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a T lymphocyte having an activity to induce a T lymphocyte recognizing an antigen and a technique to use the T lymphocyte.

Abstract: Provided are a mismatch-specific cleavage reaction using a novel heat-resistant mismatch nuclease, a method for removing errors in a nucleic acid amplification reaction using the mismatch nuclease, a method for inhibiting the amplification of a nucleic acid having a specific base sequence during a nucleic acid amplification reaction, and a method for detecting a nucleic acid having a single-base polymorphic mutation using this inhibition method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for production of a cell population containing a pluripotent stem cell, said method comprising a step of treating a somatic cell which has been contacted with nuclear reprogramming factors under nutrient-starved condition, and/or a step of treating the somatic cell with an agent capable of arresting cell cycle. The present invention allows induction and growth of pluripotent stem cells at high frequency, and it also allows production of pluripotent stem cells with high efficiency. The nuclear reprogramming factors to be used may be any selected from the group consisting of OCT4, SOX2, c-MYC, KLF4, NANOG and LIN28.

Abstract: Disclosed is a simple and highly efficient method for introducing a gene into a target cell using a retrovirus vector. The method comprises the steps of (a) placing a liquor containing a retrovirus vector having a foreign gene carried thereon into a bag for cell culture on which a retrovirus-binding substance has been immobilized, and incubating the liquor at a temperature lower than 25° C. for 8-48 hours, thereby producing a culture bag having the retrovirus vector bound thereto, (b) adding a target cell to the culture bag that has been produced in step (a) and incubating the culture bag for 8 hours or less, and (c) flipping the culture bag upside down and incubating the culture bag. The gene introduction method is useful particularly in medicine, cell technology, gene technology, and embryologic technology.

Abstract: A method for accurately and easily detecting a synthetic siRNA, for example, a siRNA in which the 3? end is DNA, and a kit used for the method are provided. The present invention relates to a method for detecting a siRNA in which the 3? end is DNA, comprising: (a) adding polydeoxyadenosine to the 3? DNA end of at least one strand of the siRNA to be detected to produce a polydeoxyadenosine-added RNA; (b) annealing a polydeoxythymidine primer having a tag sequence at its 5? side to the polydeoxyadenosine-added RNA and synthesizing DNA from the primer by a reverse transcription; and (c) detecting the DNA synthesized in (b).

Abstract: The present invention provides an expression cassette comprising (1) an expression regulatory region having a sequence corresponding to a transcriptional activator-binding region and (2) a nucleic acid encoding a transcriptional activator which is capable of binding to the expression regulatory region, wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to the expression regulatory region; a method for expressing a target product in a mammalian cell, a method for producing a cell expressing a target product, and a method for producing a target product in a mammalian cell using the expression cassette; and a kit comprising the expression cassette.