Patent ID: 7951592

Claim:
A method of identifying compounds that induce dedifferentiation of mesenchymal lineage committed mammalian cells into multipotent mesenchymal stem cells, said method comprising (a) culturing, in a culture medium, the mesenchymal lineage committed mammalian cells with a test compound suspected of inducing dedifferentiation of the mesenchymal lineage committed mammalian cells for a time sufficient to induce dedifferentiation to multipotent mesenchymal stem cells; (b) removing the test compound and the culture medium; (c) culturing cells of step (b) in a first cell differentiation culture medium, wherein the first cell differentiation culture medium induces differentiation of the multipotent mesenchymal stem cells of step (b) into a first mesenchymal lineage cell type; (d) culturing said cells of step (b) in a second cell differentiation culture medium, wherein the second cell differentiation culture medium induces differentiation of the multipotent mesenchymal stem cells of step (b) into a second mesenchymal lineage cell type; (e) determining whether the cells of step (b) have undergone differentiation into the first or second cell type, wherein the first and second cell types are different types of cells, wherein induction of differentiation of the cells of step (b) into both the first cell type and the second cell type identifies the test compound as a compound that induces dedifferentiation of mesenchymal lineage committed mammalian cells; wherein the mesenchymal lineage committed cells are selected from osteoblasts, myoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes; wherein the first and second mesenchymal lineage cell types are selected from osteoblasts, myoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes; and wherein the mesenchymal lineage committed cells are different cell types compared to the first and second mesenchymal lineage cell types.