Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a retinal progenitor cell, including (1) a first step of subjecting pluripotent stem cells to floating culture in a serum-free medium to form an aggregate of pluripotent stem cells, and (2) a second step of subjecting the aggregate formed in step (1) to floating culture in a serum-free medium or serum-containing medium each being free of a substance acting on the Sonic hedgehog signal transduction pathway but containing a substance acting on the BMP signal transduction pathway, thereby obtaining an aggregate containing retinal progenitor cells.

Abstract: A method of preparing sterile human placental allografts by providing a human placental tissue from a donor within 24 hours to 72 hours post-childbirth; removing any visible blood, blood clots, and/or blood components from the human placental tissue without scraping or scrubbing the human placental tissue to preserve structural integrity of the human placental tissue; washing the human placental tissue in an isotonic solution while maintaining the structural integrity of the human placental tissue; dehydrating the human placental tissue thereby forming the dehydrated human placental tissue; resizing the dehydrated human placental tissue into dehydrated human placental tissue portions having predetermined sizes; and sterilizing the dehydrated human placental tissue portions of step (e) thereby forming the sterile human placental allograft. Also disclosed is a sterile human placental allograft produced by the method.

Abstract: Disclosed are living, three-dimensional tissue constructs for in vitro scientific and medical research, arrays thereof, and methods of making said tissues and arrays.

Abstract: The invention discloses a composition comprising LNT and at least another human milk oligosaccharide or precursor thereof, for use in preventing and/or treating necrotizing enterocolitis in infants and young children.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein generally provide for expanding cells in a cell expansion system. The cells may be grown in a bioreactor, and the cells may be activated by an activator (e.g., a soluble activator complex). Nutrient and gas exchange capabilities of a closed, automated cell expansion system may allow cells to be seeded at reduced cell seeding densities, for example. Parameters of the cell growth environment may be manipulated to load the cells into a particular position in the bioreactor for the efficient exchange of nutrients and gases. System parameters may be adjusted to shear any cell colonies that may form during the expansion phase. Metabolic concentrations may be controlled to improve cell growth and viability. Cell residence in the bioreactor may be controlled. In embodiments, the cells may include T cells. In further embodiments, the cells may include T cell subpopulations, including regulatory T cells (Tregs), for example.

Abstract: This invention relates to polynucleotides comprising optimized GALC open reading frame (ORF) sequences, vectors comprising the same, and methods of using the same for delivery of the ORF to a cell or a subject and to treat disorders associated with aberrant expression of a GALC gene or aberrant activity of a GALC gene product in the subject, such as Krabbe disease (i.e., globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD)).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a complex for promoting cartilage differentiation comprising stem cells or a culture thereof and a cartilage cell-free crush, a method for fabricating cartilage by using the complex, cartilage fabricated via the method, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the complex for preventing or treating arthropathy, a method for preventing or treating arthropathy using the composition, a composition for inducing cartilage cell differentiation comprising the prepared cartilage cells, and a method for fabricating cartilage using the prepared cartilage cells.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for constructing a hepatic progenitor cell-like cell bank, including successively performing following processes to human primary hepatocyte cultures from different donor sources: transformation-culture, cryopreservation treatment, proliferation-culture, a first subculture treatment, virus infection, a second subculture treatment, continuous selection-culture and continuous subculture. In the method for constructing a heterogenous immortal hepatic progenitor cell-like cell bank of the present invention, the human primary hepatocyte culture of each of the donor sources is transformation-cultured before the proliferation-culture, which is beneficial in endowing the human primary hepatocyte cultures with good proliferation performance. Once combined with subsequent controlling of culture parameter, the immortal hepatic progenitor cell-like cell lines obtained from different donor sources may have good in vitro proliferation ability.

Abstract: The present invention relates to promoters that function specifically or preferentially in the liver. These promoters are capable of enhancing liver-specific expression of genes. The invention also relates to expression constructs, vectors and cells comprising such liver-specific promoters, and to methods of their use. The present invention future relates to adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vectors comprising the liver-specific promoters, therapeutic agents comprising the liver-specific promoters, and methods using the same.

Abstract: A biological system for generating and preserving a repository of personalized, humanized transplantable cells, tissues, and organs for transplantation, wherein the biological system is biologically active and metabolically active, the biological system having genetically reprogrammed cells, tissues, and organs in a non-human animal for transplantation into a human recipient, wherein the non-human animal does not present one or more surface glycan epitopes and specific sequences from the wild-type swine's SLA is replaced with a synthetic nucleotides based on a human captured reference sequence from a human recipient's HLA.

Abstract: Described herein are methods of treating muscular dystrophy comprising administering a self complementary recombinant AAV (rAAV) ScAAVrh74.MIHCK7.h8GCB vector, methods of expressing beta-sarcoglycan gene in a patient, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the rAAV, and methods of generating the rAAV.

Abstract: The present invention embraces a RNA replicon that can be replicated by a replicase of alphavirus origin. The RNA replicon comprises sequence elements required for replication by the replicase, but these sequence elements do not encode any protein or fragment thereof, such as an alphavirus non-structural protein or fragment thereof. Thus, in the RNA replicon according to the invention, sequence elements required for replication by the replicase and protein-coding region(s) are uncoupled. According to the present invention the uncoupling is achieved by the removal of at least one initiation codon compared to a native alphavirus genomic RNA. In particular, the RNA replicon comprises a 5? replication recognition sequence, wherein the 5? replication recognition sequence is characterized in that it comprises the removal of at least one initiation codon compared to a native alphavirus 5? replication recognition sequence.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to one or more compositions that upregulate the production of one or more sequences of mRNA. The sequences of mRNA may encode for translation of a target biomolecule, thereby causing an increase in the bioavailability of the target biomolecule within a subject that is administered the one or more compositions. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target biomolecule is a protein such as AAV capsid protein.

Abstract: Provided is a method of mineralizing tissue, including placing within a body of a subject a substance, wherein the substance includes osteopontin and osteocalcin. Also provided is a tissue mineralization-promoting substance including osteopontin and osteocalcin, and an article for promoting tissue mineralization, including an implant which may be an orthopedic implant or an endosseous implant, and a substance disposed on a surface of the implant including osteopontin, and osteocalcin. A method of making a tissue mineralization-promoting substance, including combining osteopontin and osteocalcin, is also provided. Other features, including calcium phosphate, type-I collagen, mesenchymal stem cells, and growth factors, are also provided.

Abstract: The disclosure provides compositions and methods useful for treating conditions related to Dual Leucine Zipper (DLK), e.g., neurodegenerative disorders including optic neuropathy. The disclosure provides gene constructs and vectors that regulate the activity of Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase (DLK) or Leucine Zipper Kinase (LZK). The disclosure also provides dominant negative DLK (DN-DLK) proteins that inhibit the kinase and/or signaling activity of DLK. The disclosure also provides vectors, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of inhibiting DLK.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an in vitro method for creating a viable connective tissue and/or osseous tissue obtained by tribological solicitations of a biological culture. It further relates to a viable connective tissue and/or osseous tissue susceptible to be obtained by said method as well as to the use of said method or viable connective tissue and/or osseous tissue to prepare a biological implant.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein generally provide for expanding cells in a cell expansion system. The cells may be grown in a bioreactor, and the cells may be activated by an activator (e.g., a soluble activator complex). Nutrient and gas exchange capabilities of a closed, automated cell expansion system may allow cells to be seeded at reduced cell seeding densities, for example. Parameters of the cell growth environment may be manipulated to load the cells into a particular position in the bioreactor for the efficient exchange of nutrients and gases. System parameters may be adjusted to shear any cell colonies that may form during the expansion phase. Metabolic concentrations may be controlled to improve cell growth and viability. Cell residence in the bioreactor may be controlled. In embodiments, the cells may include T cells. In further embodiments, the cells may include T cell subpopulations, including regulatory T cells (Tregs), helper, naïve, memory, or effector, for example.

Abstract: A coated biological composition has a mixture of biologic material and a volume of a liquid protectant. The mixture of biologic material has non-whole cellular components or whole cells or combinations of the non-whole cellular components and whole cells, wherein the mixture is compatible with biologic function. The volume of a liquid protectant is intermixed with the mixture of biologic material, wherein the liquid protectant forms a coating externally enveloping each of the non-whole cellular components, if any, and each of the whole cells, if any, of the mixture of biologic material, to form the coated biological composition. The coated biological composition is frozen and thereafter thawed and then frozen a second time for storage or frozen at least once and thawed and stored under refrigeration above freezing, or frozen and thawed and then concentrated by drying, or while frozen without thawing lyophilized for ambient or room temperature storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to an injectable hydrogel composition of 10 wt % gelatin, 0.5-2 wt % hyaluronic acid, 0.5-1.0 wt % genipin and an aqueous medium. The composition exhibits high biocompatibility, injectability and in-situ gelation ability at bone defect sites. The composition is suitable for serving as an osteogenic scaffold for cell adhesion and as an osteogenic carrier for delivering beneficial substance for promoting bone regeneration. The invention also relates to a medical formulation comprising the injectable hydrogel composition in combination with an osteogenic substance, as well as the medical use thereof in the treatment of segmental bone defect.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for the establishment of an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell includes a suspension liquid feeding step, an inducing factor feeding step, and an establishing step. The suspension liquid feeding step feeds a suspension liquid containing a target cell. The inducing factor feeding step feeds an inducing factor to a trap. The trap traps the target cell contained in the suspension liquid fed in the suspension liquid feeding step. The establishing step establishes an iPS cell by introducing the inducing factor, which has been fed to the trap, into the target cell trapped by the trap.