Patent ID: 7846726

Claim:
A method of isolating a substantially pure population of human fetal urinary bladder epithelial cells having a capacity to differentiate into either differentiated bladder or prostate epithelium, wherein said cells are positive for molecular marker H19 imprinted gene mRNA and lacking alpha-actin expression, comprising: (a) microdissecting human fetal urinary bladder tissue at gestational age from 14-21 weeks; (b) placing the microdissected human fetal urinary bladder tissue in a serum-free nutrient medium under culture conditions sufficient to sustain fetal urinary bladder epithelial cells wherein the serum-free medium contains nutrients comprising insulin, transferrin, α-tocopherol, and aprotinin; (c) maintaining suitable culture conditions sufficient to allow the migration of fetal urinary bladder epithelial cells from the human fetal urinary bladder tissue into the serum-free nutrient medium; and (d) maintaining suitable culture conditions to obtain a substantially pure population of fetal urinary bladder epithelial cells having a capacity to differentiate into differentiated bladder or prostate epithelium.