Abstract: A semiconductor device (10) according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a driving section (40) that drives an object to be driven; an abnormality detecting circuit (30), which is one example of an instruction circuit that outputs an instruction signal to the driving section (40); and a light amount detecting section (20) that detects an amount of incident light and invalidates the instruction signal output from the abnormality detecting circuit (30) in accordance with the amount of incident light.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved negative-strand RNA viral vector and a use thereof, the negative-strand RNA viral vector exhibiting transient high expression of genes loaded in the vector and enabling the rapid removal of the vector after said expression. It was discovered that by adding a micro-RNA target sequence to the NP, P, or L gene of a negative-strand RNA viral vector, it is possible to control the expression of the vector depending on the micro-RNA expressed by the introduction cell. In particular, when a micro-RNA target sequence was added to the NP or P gene, the expression of the vector decreased depending on the micro-RNA, and the removal of the vector was promoted, while the effect was reversed when a micro-RNA target sequence was added to the L gene. The vector can be applied in cell therapy and regenerative medicine and can be used as a therapeutic vector that targets cancer.

Abstract: The problem is to produce functional liver cells usable in testing the metabolism and toxicity of a drug, from pluripotent stem cells. The solution includes a method for producing highly functional liver cells using pluripotent stem cells, comprising, from pluripotent stem cells, acquiring primitive endoderm derived from the pluripotent stem cells by a process involving steps (A) and (B), from the primitive endoderm, acquiring liver precursor cells by a process involving step (C), and, from the liver precursor cells, acquiring the highly functional liver cells by a process involving step (D): (A) culturing under serum-free and feeder-free conditions; (B) culturing in the presence of albumin and at least one kind of cytokine; (C) culturing in the presence of SHH or an SHH agonist and at least one kind of cytokine; and (D) culturing and maturing in the presence of at least one kind of cytokine.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of providing an improved negative-strand RNA viral vector enabling transient high expression of a gene carried by the vector, and quick removal of the vector after the expression, and the use thereof. It was found that if a degron is added to a P-protein possessed by a negative-strand RNA viral vector, high-level expression of a gene carried by the vector is transiently induced after introduction of the vector, and thereafter, the vector can be quickly removed in a manner dependent on the degron. In particular, if the degron is added to a temperature-sensitive P-protein, the vector can be removed to a level below the detection limit within two weeks after cells are infected with the vector. Since the present invention is useful for transiently expressing a transcription factor, such as a reprogramming factor or the like, in target cells, and then quickly removing the vector, the present invention is expected to be applied in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

Abstract: Provided are a method of producing brown adipocytes from pluripotent stem cells, a method of producing cell aggregates as an intermediate product thereof, pluripotent stem cell-derived cell aggregates and pluripotent stem cell-derived brown adipocytes produced by these methods, and cell therapy using the pluripotent stem cell-derived brown adipocytes. In the method of producing brown adipocytes from pluripotent stem cells, cell aggregates are produced from pluripotent stem cells by a method including the step (A), and brown adipocytes are prepared from the cell aggregates by a method including the step (B). The step (A) is a step of producing cell aggregates by non-adhesive culture of pluripotent stem cells in serum-free environment in the presence of a hematopoietic cytokine, and the step (B) is a step of producing brown adipocytes by adhesion culture of the cell aggregates in the presence of a hematopoietic cytokine.

Abstract: The present invention provides Sendai virus vectors in which genes that encode reprograming factors for inducing pluripotent stem cells are incorporated in a specific order, compositions comprising these vectors for gene delivery to be used in the induction of pluripotent stem cells, and uses thereof. Incorporation of the KLF gene, OCT gene, and SOX gene in a specific order into a single Sendai virus vector successfully and significantly increased the efficiency of pluripotent stem cell induction. Loading multiple reprogramming factors into a single vector can further increase the induction efficiency of pluripotent stem cells while reducing the number of necessary vectors.

Abstract: Provided are a method of producing brown adipocytes from pluripotent stem cells, a method of producing cell aggregates as an intermediate product thereof, pluripotent stem cell-derived cell aggregates and pluripotent stem cell-derived brown adipocytes produced by these methods, and cell therapy using the pluripotent stem cell-derived brown adipocytes. In the method of producing brown adipocytes from pluripotent stem cells, cell aggregates are produced from pluripotent stem cells by a method including the step (A), and brown adipocytes are prepared from the cell aggregates by a method including the step (B). The step (A) is a step of producing cell aggregates by non-adhesive culture of pluripotent stem cells in serum-free environment in the presence of a hematopoietic cytokine, and the step (B) is a step of producing brown adipocytes by adhesion culture of the cell aggregates in the presence of a hematopoietic cytokine.

Abstract: The present invention provides Sendai virus vectors in which genes that encode reprograming factors for inducing pluripotent stem cells are incorporated in a specific order, compositions comprising these vectors for gene delivery to be used in the induction of pluripotent stem cells, and uses thereof. Incorporation of the KLF gene, OCT gene, and SOX gene in a specific order into a single Sendai virus vector successfully and significantly increased the efficiency of pluripotent stem cell induction. Loading multiple reprogramming factors into a single vector can further increase the induction efficiency of pluripotent stem cells while reducing the number of necessary vectors.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for efficiently inducing anti-A? antibody and methods for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease. The present inventors successfully induced anti-A? antibody in a highly efficient manner by administering an RNA viral vector that expresses a fusion protein between an AB5 toxin B subunit and an A? antigen peptide. Administration of the vector resulted in a significant increase of anti-A? antibody in plasma, and decrease in the A? level in brain tissues and decrease in the anti-A? antibody-positive area. The present invention enables more efficient vaccine gene therapy for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for enhancing protein expression from an RNA viral vector and RNA viral vectors with enhanced protein expression capacity. The present inventors successfully increased the level of protein expression significantly by expressing the proteins fused with an AB5B protein from RNA viral vectors. Effective gene therapy, gene vaccination, monoclonal antibody preparation, or such can be achieved by using a gene transfer RNA viral vector of the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for subculturing primate embryonic stem cells, and a method for inducing differentiation of the same cell into a vascular endothelial cell and a blood cell. The present invention provides a method comprising culturing primate embryonic stem cells in a medium containing a protein component without using feeder cells and cytokines in a container coated with an extracellular matrix, detaching colonies of the resulting embryonic stem cells in the presence of a cytodetachment agent, and plating the colonies in the similar medium, and a method comprising culturing primate embryonic stem cells in a serum-containing or not containing medium in the presence of cytokine, adhesion-culturing the resulting embryoid body or embroyid body-analogous cellular aggregate in the presence of a cytokine to obtain specific precursor cells, and separating non-adherent cells and adherent cells from the specific precursor cells to obtain blood cells and vascular endothelial precursor cells.