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A patent has been issued for a method of producing retinal tissues. The patent, assigned to Riken, was filed by inventors from Japan and published online in September 2024. The method aims to create retinal tissues suitable for transplantation by efficiently forming synapses between bipolar cells and photoreceptors. The method involves differentiating pluripotent stem cells into retinal tissues and culturing them in specific mediums containing thyroid gland hormone signal transduction pathway agonists. The patent also discusses the suppression of differentiation of certain retinal cells and the characteristics of matured neural retinal tissues. [Extracted from the article]

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research have discovered key changes in chromosome structure and gene expression that affect stem cell function during aging. Using fruit flies, they found that these changes led to stem cell exhaustion, which prevents stem cells from multiplying. This research provides evidence of an independent exhaustion signal and enhances our understanding of how the delicate balance between stem cell exhaustion and proliferation is disrupted in normal aging. The findings could offer valuable insights into the aging process and how it impacts stem cells in humans. [Extracted from the article]

A patent application by inventors Michiko Mandai and Suguru Yamasaki, assigned to Riken, has been made available online. The inventors aim to provide a method for producing retinal tissue with improved quality and a reduced proportion of non-target cells. They have discovered that combining a CHK1 signaling pathway inhibitor with a BMP signaling pathway agonist can achieve these results. The method involves suspension-culturing pluripotent stem cells and then culturing the cell aggregate in the presence of the two compounds. The inventors have also developed a sphere-like cell aggregate with a multilayer structure, which can be used for transplantation and treating diseases caused by retinal damage or injury. [Extracted from the article]

A patent has been issued to Riken for a method of producing hypophysis precursor tissue using pluripotent stem cells. The method involves forming aggregates of stem cells in a serum-free medium and subjecting them to floating-culture. This process allows for the simultaneous differentiation of both central nervous tissue and non-neural head ectodermal tissue, specifically rostral hypothalamus tissue and rostral non-neural head ectodermal tissue. The patent claims include the aggregate itself, as well as its potential use in cell culture products, treatment methods, and pharmaceutical production. This research has implications for regenerative medicine and the study of pituitary gland development. [Extracted from the article]

"However, in the cell mixture used in Non Patent Literature 2, cells are not adhered to each other, and the retinal progenitor cells adhered to the RPE cell sheet in Patent Literature 1 are not closely adhered to each other, thus they are not in a state capable of functioning as a retinal tissue. Keywords: Cellular Structures; Epithelial Cells; Extracellular Matrix; Extracellular Space; Pluripotent Stem Cells; Riken; Stem Cell Research EN Cellular Structures Epithelial Cells Extracellular Matrix Extracellular Space Pluripotent Stem Cells Riken Stem Cell Research 188 188 1 07/17/23 20230720 NES 230720 2023 JUL 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Stem Cell Week -- Riken has been issued patent number 11684698, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors. The sphere-like cell aggregate according to claim 1, wherein a hydrogel is further present between the photoreceptor cell layer in (1) and the retinal pigment epithelium covering at least a part of the photoreceptor cell layer. [Extracted from the article]

"(5) An induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell) inducer comprising any of the mutant KLF protein or the peptide fragment thereof according to (1) or (2), the nucleic acid according to (3), or the gene expression vector according to (4). "(11) A method for producing an iPS cell, comprising "an introduction step of introducing an iPS cell inducer comprising the following [1] to [4], into a somatic cell: " "[1] any of the mutant KLF4 protein or the peptide fragment thereof according to (1) or (2), the nucleic acid according to (3), or the gene expression vector according to (4), "[2] any of an OCT3/4 protein, a nucleic acid encoding the protein, or a gene expression vector comprising the nucleic acid in an expressible state, "[3] any of a SOX1 protein, a SOX2 protein, a SOX3 protein, a SOX15 protein or a SOX17 protein, a nucleic acid encoding any of the proteins, or a gene expression vector comprising the nucleic acid in an expressible state, and "[4] any of a C-MYC protein, an N-MYC protein, an L-MYC protein, or a T58A mutant protein of the C-MYC protein, a nucleic acid encoding any of the proteins, or a gene expression vector comprising the nucleic acid in an expressible state; and " "a cultivation step of cultivating the somatic cell after the introduction step. [Extracted from the article]