Other

University of Southern California

Mello Biotechnology, Inc.

Mello Biotech Taiwan Co., Ltd.

David Ts Wu

Shi-Lung Lin

Shao-Yao Ying

This invention generally relates to a method for developing, generating and selecting human embryonic stem (hES)-like pluripotent cells using transgenic expression of intronic microRNA-like RNA agents. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and composition for generating a non-naturally occurring intron and its intronic components capable of being processed into mir-302-like RNA molecules in mammalian cells and thus inducing certain specific gene silencing effects on differentiation-related and fate-determinant genes of the cells, resulting in reprogramming the cells into a pluripotent embryonic stem (ES)-cell-like state. The ES-like cells so obtained are strongly express hES cell markers, such as Oct3/4, SSEA-3 and SSEA-4, and can be guided into various tissue cell types by treating certain hormones and/or growth factors under a feeder-free cell culture condition in vitro, which may be used for transplantation and gene therapies. Therefore, the present invention offers a simple, effective and safe gene manipulation approach for not only reprogramming somatic cells into ES-like pluripotent cells but also facilitating the maintenance of pluripotent and renewal properties of ES cells under a feeder-free cell culture condition, preventing the tedious retroviral insertion of four large transcription factor genes into one single cell as used in the previous iPS methods.

Generation of human embryonic stem-like cells using intronic RNA

The present invention relates to a method and composition for generating a non-naturally occurring intron and its components capable of being processed into small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and/or microRNA (miRNA) molecules by skin cells and thus inducing specific gene silencing effects on skin pigment-related genes and/or aging-causing genes in the cells. The gene silencing effects so obtained are not only useful for lightening and whitening skin colors but also useful for suppressing unwanted aging gene activities in skins.

Cosmetic designs and products using intronic RNA

A transmission mechanism used in a spring winding machine is constructed to include a rotary table, the rotary table having an eccentric main shaft protruded over first and second sides thereof. A wire feeding box having an intermediate gear, a transfer cylinder set formed of a wire-transfer cylinder and an impression cylinder adapted for transferring a spring wire for processing, a spur gear coaxially connected to the wire-transfer cylinder and meshed with the intermediate gear, a first bevel gear fixedly mounted on the other end of the main shaft, a second bevel gear coaxially connected to the intermediate gear, a wire feeding motor installed in the first side of the rotary table and adapted for rotating the driven gear and the main shaft, and a reversible wire winding motor adapted for rotating the rotary table clockwise/counter-clockwise through 180&deg; through a transmission belt.

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

David Ts Wu