Patent ID: 7972849
Filing Date: 2011-07-05
Classification: C12N

Abstract:
1. A method for producing a pluripotent primate stem cell comprising the steps of: (a) enucleating a recipient primate host oocyte cell from a first primate using a real-time non-UV-based spindle polarized light imaging system in the absence of staining and in a manner that does not lower levels of maturation promoting factor (MPF) to form an enucleated oocyte; (b) introducing a nucleus of a donor primate somatic cell from a second primate into the enucleated oocyte in Ca2 free medium under conditions that reduce or eliminate calcium oscillations, wherein the first primate and the second primate are from the same primate species, to produce a reconstituted primate embryo; (c) activating the reconstituted embryo; (d) culturing the reconstituted embryo to the blastocyst stage; (e) isolating the inner cell mass cells from the blastocyst; and (f) culturing the inner cell mass cells on a fibroblast feeder layer so that the cells divide, thereby producing a primate stem cell that is pluripotent, wherein the pluripotent stem cell (i) is capable of four or more cell divisions; (ii) maintains a normal karyotype while in culture; (iii) is capable of differentiating into ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm layers; and (iv) comprises mitochondrial DNA derived from the oocyte of the first primate recipient and nuclear genetic material from the donor primate somatic cell of the second primate.