Method for producing mature corneal endothelial cells

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and compositions for generating corneal endothelial cells, for example mature corneal endothelial cells, by increasing the expression of a transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 183,562, entitled "METHODS OF GENERATING MATURE CORNEAL ENDOTHELIAL CELLS," filed on May 3, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to methods for producing mature corneal endothelial cells and compositions thereof. [Background technology]

[0003] background The cornea performs important functions for the maintenance of normal vision and ocular health, including providing approximately two-thirds of the eye's optical power and protecting the eye from injury or infection. Corneal disease and injury are the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Many corneal diseases and injuries can be treated by transplantation of donor corneas. The cornea is the most commonly transplanted organ in the body, with a high success rate for over 15 years. For example, approximately 40,000 corneal transplants are performed per year in the United States. However, globally, the demand for corneas for transplantation greatly exceeds the current supply, and the limited quality and quantity of available donor tissue hinders the procedure. One factor that contributes to an insufficient supply of donated corneas is that up to 30% of donated corneas are rejected for transplantation due to poor quality of the corneal endothelium. The quality of the corneal endothelium generally declines with the age of the donor, because when the cornea ages or is injured, the endothelial cells die and are not replaced. Thus, as the population ages, the supply of donor tissue with suitable healthy corneal endothelium decreases. Furthermore, as the popularity of LASIK surgery increases, the number and quality of donated corneas is expected to decrease (those that are rejected for transplantation).

[0004] Diseases of the cornea may involve one or more of the five layers of the cornea: the corneal epithelium, Bowman's layer, corneal stroma, Descemet's membrane, and corneal endothelium. The corneal epithelium, corneal stroma, and corneal endothelium are layers of cells, while Bowman's layer and Descemet's membrane are primarily composed of collagen fibrils. The corneal endothelium is a single layer of cells on the inner surface of the cornea. It faces the chamber formed between the cornea and the iris and keeps the cornea clear by regulating the level of fluid. Without a functional corneal endothelium, the cornea becomes cloudy and vision is lost. Properly functioning corneal endothelial cells maintain the correct fluid levels in the cornea, including "leaking" of fluid into the corneal stroma and active pumping that operates continuously to move fluid from the corneal stroma to the anterior chamber of the eye.

[0005] It has been reported that corneal endothelial cells have little or no ability to proliferate in vivo, and therefore, they are not replaced if they are injured or otherwise lost. In humans, the corneal endothelial cell layer is most densely packed at birth, after which the cell density rapidly decreases as the eye develops (reflecting that the same number of cells cover a larger area). Thereafter, the density of corneal cells gradually decreases with age, apparently reflecting that cells are gradually lost and that they are not replaced. As the cell density decreases, each cell spreads out and covers a larger area in order to maintain the barrier and pumping function of the cell layer. However, once the cell density falls too low (approximately 500-1000 cells / mm 2 ), its function is impaired, leading to corneal opacification, corneal stromal edema, loss of vision, and ultimately blindness. Specifically, the cell density of the tightly packed corneal endothelium in vivo is 5624 cells / mm in 2-month-old infants. 2 4252 cells / mm3 within the first year of life. 2 It has been reported that the corneal keratinocyte count decreases to 100 cells / mm2, followed by a rapid decline during early childhood (associated with the increase in corneal size as the eye develops). By age 5, it is approximately 3591 ± 399 cells / mm2. 2by age 10, it decreases to about 2697 ± 246 cells / mm 2 and then declines by approximately 0.6% per year throughout adulthood. See Peh et al., Transplantation. 2011 Apr. 27; 91(8):811-9.

[0006] Causative diseases affecting the corneal endothelium include Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy, and congenital hereditary endotherial dystrophy. Secondary diseases, the most effective treatment of which is replacement of the corneal endothelium, include late endotherial failure in some corneal dystrophies, contact lens use, cataract surgery, and corneal transplantation. When only the corneal endothelium is compromised, the preferred treatment is Descemet's membrane stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), which involves removal of the Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelium followed by transplantation of donor tissue. Alternatively, in penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), the entire cornea is removed and replaced.

[0007] Generally, corneal transplantation involves obtaining a donor cornea (e.g., from a postmortem cadaver donation), determining whether the donor cornea is of sufficient quality and otherwise suitable for use, and surgically replacing the damaged or diseased cornea. Procedures have been developed to replace the entire cornea (full-thickness corneal transplantation) or to spare the patient's Descemet's membrane and endothelium and replace the remaining layers with donated tissue (lamellar corneal transplantation); the latter procedure may reduce the risk of graft rejection, but may also result in poorer vision after transplantation. Furthermore, lamellar corneal transplantation may not be suitable for the treatment of some conditions where replacement of the patient's corneal endothelium and / or Descemet's membrane may be the indicated treatment. See generally U.S. Patent No. 5,755,785, U.S. Patent No. 5,649,944, U.S. Patent No. 7,147,648, U.S. Patent No. 7,300,653, U.S. Patent No. 5,584,881, U.S. Patent No. 5,686,414, U.S. Patent No. 7,300,654, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 525,391; each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Additional methods of surgical replacement of the corneal endothelium are under development, including Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), in which the donor tissue consists only of Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelium. Another potentially promising therapeutic approach is corneal endothelial reconstruction, in which corneal endothelial cells are cultured in vitro prior to transplantation. For example, donated human corneal cells were cultured on a polymer, released onto a bioadhesive gelatin disk, and then successfully incorporated into a denuded rabbit cornea (the gelatin disk dissolves after transplantation) (Hsiue et al., Transplantation. 2006 Feb. 15; 81(3):473-6; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). However, methods utilizing cultured cells are predicated on a source of said cells, and thus suffer from the shortage of suitable donated tissue as described above. Furthermore, due to differences between donated cells, it may prove difficult to generate corneal endothelial cell cultures of consistent quality and potency.Regulatory hurdles may also make such methods logistically difficult to perform on a large scale, due to the possibility that extensive safety and / or efficacy testing may be required for cells obtained from each donor. These and additional therapeutic methods are further described in Thomas John, Corneal Endothelial Transplant: DSAEK, DMEK & DLEK (JP Medical Ltd, 2010), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0008] Further disclosure relates generally to methods of obtaining and using corneal cells, including methods of treatment, culture, storage, and compositions that may contain or be used in conjunction with the same, similar to those described in US2007 / 0275365, US2010 / 0209402, US2010 / 0233240, US2011 / 0009488, US2009 / 0232772, US5,166,048, US2007 / 0092550, US2005 / 0214259, US2007 / 0148137, US4,959,319, US5,310,728, US5,5 Nos. 89,451, US2010 / 0215717, U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,047, US2009 / 0222086, US2009 / 0263465, US2006 / 0228693, US2006 / 0240552, US2009 / 0270982, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,812, U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,513, US2010 / 0069915, US2011 / 0166650, US9,752,118, US2018 / 0072989 and US9,752,118, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0009] Thus, there is a need in the art for a simple and effective method for generating corneal endothelial cells. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Abstract The present invention relates to a method for producing a pair-like ( Paired-Like) Homeodomain Transcription Factor 2 (PITX2), Forkhead Box C1 (FOXC1) , Transcription factor AP-2 beta (TFAP2B), LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 beta The present invention fulfills this need in the art by providing an efficient and effective method for generating corneal endothelial cells (CECs), e.g., mature CECs, by increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B, and POU6F2 (POU class 6 homeobox 2). In one aspect, the present invention provides a novel and effective method for generating CECs, e.g., mature CECs, by increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B, and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells, e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells.

[0011] The methods of the present invention are simple, efficient and effective, and result in the generation of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, which can be used for a variety of applications disclosed herein, e.g., for the treatment of ocular diseases, e.g., diseases of CECs.

[0012] The present invention provides a method for producing corneal endothelial cells, the method comprising increasing expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells, thereby producing corneal endothelial cells.

[0013] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0014] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In some embodiments, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0015] In one embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells are mature corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is PITX2. In another embodiment, the PITX2 is at least one isoform of PITX2 selected from the group consisting of PITX2, isoform 1; PITX2, isoform 2; PITX2, isoform 3, PITX2, isoform 4, and PITX2, isoform 5.

[0016] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is FOXC1. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is TFAP2B. In another embodiment, the TFAP2B is at least one isoform of TFAP2B selected from the group consisting of TFAP2B, isoform 1, and TFAP2B, isoform 2.

[0017] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is LMX1B. In another embodiment, the LMX1B is at least one isoform of LMX1B selected from the group consisting of LMX1B, isoform 1, LMX1B, isoform 2, and LMX1B, isoform 3. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is POU6F2.

[0018] In another embodiment, POU6F2 is at least one isoform of POU6F2 selected from the group consisting of POU6F2, isoform 1, and POU6F2, isoform 2. In another embodiment, the method further comprises increasing expression of one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ERG, ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358, and ZNF395 in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0019] In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ERG. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are BHLHE40. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are CEBPD. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are CSRNP1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are EGR1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ESRRA. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ETS2. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOS. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOSB. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOSL2. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUN. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUNB. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUND. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are KLF10. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are KLF9. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are NR1D1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are NR4A1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors is TSC22D1.

[0020] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell comprises contacting the corneal endothelial progenitor cell with at least one transcription factor.

[0021] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, where the expression vector comprises a self-cleaving sequence.

[0022] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is a viral vector. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is a non-viral vector.

[0023] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is an inducible expression vector. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding the at least one transcription factor.

[0024] In one embodiment, the promoter is an endogenous promoter. In one embodiment, the promoter is an artificial promoter. In one embodiment, the promoter is an inducible promoter.

[0025] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises transducing the corneal endothelial progenitor cells with a viral vector encoding the at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises transfecting the corneal endothelial progenitor cells with an expression vector encoding the at least one transcription factor.

[0026] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells are cultured for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 days before increasing expression of at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells are cultured for at least 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0027] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of PITX2 includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, increasing the expression of FOXC1 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0028] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of TFAP2B comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another aspect, increasing the expression of LMX1B includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0029] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of POU6F2 includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B and MRGPRX3 compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0030] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B and LMX1B compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of COL8A1, COL8A2, SLC4A11 and MRGPRX3 as compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0031] In another embodiment, increased expression of one or more markers comprises at least a 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, 2,000-fold, 5,000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit reduced expression of NGFR, SOX10, HNK1, SSEA4, NANOG, OCT4, vWF and / or CD31 compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0032] In another embodiment, the decreased expression of NGFR, SOX10, HNK1, SSEA4, NANOG, OCT4, vWF and / or CD31 comprises at least a 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, or 4-fold decrease compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit one or more of increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0033] In another embodiment, the increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology comprise an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25% compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of a corneal endothelial progenitor cell by at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% toward the transcriptome of a corneal endothelial cell.

[0034] In another embodiment, following administration of the corneal endothelial cells to the cornea of ​​a subject in need thereof, the cornea exhibits one or more of increased pump activity, increased formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, increased transparency and decreased thickness. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells.

[0035] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells that are embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0036] In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a transcriptional gene switch construct. In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a post-transcriptional gene switch construct.

[0037] The present invention also provides a method for producing corneal endothelial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, the method comprising: (a) culturing pluripotent stem cells and inducing the formation of corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, wherein the pluripotent stem cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2, and (b) generating corneal endothelial cells by increasing expression of the at least one transcription factor from the expression vector in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0038] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0039] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In some embodiments, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60. In one embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells are mature corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cells are induced pluripotent stem cells. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is PITX2.

[0040] In another embodiment, the PITX2 is at least one isoform of PITX2 selected from the group consisting of PITX2, isoform 1; PITX2, isoform 2; PITX2, isoform 3, PITX2, isoform 4, and PITX2, isoform 5. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is FOXC1. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is TFAP2B.

[0041] In another embodiment, the TFAP2B is at least one isoform of TFAP2B selected from the group consisting of TFAP2B, isoform 1, and TFAP2B, isoform 2. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is LMX1B. In another embodiment, the LMX1B is at least one isoform of LMX1B selected from the group consisting of LMX1B, isoform 1, LMX1B, isoform 2, and LMX1B, isoform 3.

[0042] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is POU6F2. In another embodiment, POU6F2 is at least one isoform of POU6F2 selected from the group consisting of POU6F2, isoform 1, and POU6F2, isoform 2. In another embodiment, the method further comprises increasing expression of one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ERG, ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358, and ZNF395.

[0043] In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ERG. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are BHLHE40. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are CEBPD. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are CSRNP1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are EGR1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ESRRA. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are ETS2. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOS. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOSB. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are FOSL2. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUN. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUNB. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are JUND. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are KLF10. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are KLF9. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are NR1D1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors are NR4A1. In another embodiment, the one or more transcription factors is TSC22D1.

[0044] In another embodiment, the expression vector is a viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is a non-viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is an inducible expression vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0045] In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, where the promoter is an endogenous promoter. In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the promoter is an artificial promoter.

[0046] In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, where the promoter is an inducible promoter. In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0047] In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a neural crest stem cell comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a transcriptional gene switch construct.

[0048] In another embodiment, inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a neural crest stem cell comprises use of a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a post-transcriptional gene switch construct. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cells are transduced with a viral vector encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0049] In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cells are transfected with an expression vector encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, step (a) comprises culturing the pluripotent stem cells with at least one inhibitor of Small / Mothers Against Decapentaplegic (SMAD) protein signaling to induce differentiation of the pluripotent stem cells into corneal endothelial progenitor cells or into neural crest stem cells.

[0050] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells are cultured for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 days before increasing expression of at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells are cultured for at least 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 days after increasing expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0051] In another aspect, increasing the expression of PITX2 includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells. In another embodiment, increasing the expression of FOXC1 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0052] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of TFAP2B comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells. In another aspect, increasing the expression of LMX1B includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0053] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of POU6F2 includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B and MRGPRX3, compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0054] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B and LMX1B, compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of COL8A1, COL8A2, SLC4A11 and MRGPRX3, as compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0055] In another embodiment, increased expression of one or more of the markers comprises at least a 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, 2,000-fold, 5,000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit reduced expression of NGFR, SOX10, HNK1, SSEA4, NANOG, OCT4, vWF and / or CD31 as compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells.

[0056] In another embodiment, the decreased expression of NGFR, SOX10, HNK1, SSEA4, NANOG, OCT4, vWF and / or CD31 comprises at least a 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, or 4-fold decrease compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit one or more of increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0057] In another embodiment, the increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology comprise an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25% compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, following administration of the corneal endothelial cells to the cornea of ​​a subject in need thereof, the cornea exhibits one or more of increased pump activity, increased formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, increased transparency and decreased thickness.

[0058] In another embodiment, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of a corneal endothelial progenitor cell by at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% toward the transcriptome of a corneal endothelial cell. In another aspect, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of neural crest stem cells by at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% toward the transcriptome of corneal endothelial cells.

[0059] The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by the method of the present invention. The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by a method comprising generating corneal endothelial cells by increasing expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B, and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0060] The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by a method comprising: (a) culturing pluripotent stem cells and inducing the formation of corneal endothelial progenitor cells, wherein the pluripotent stem cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2, and (b) increasing expression of the at least one transcription factor from the expression vector in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells, thereby generating corneal endothelial cells.

[0061] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0062] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0063] The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by the method of the present invention and a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by a method comprising generating corneal endothelial cells by increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B, and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells, and a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier.

[0064] The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells produced by a method comprising: (a) culturing pluripotent stem cells and inducing the formation of corneal endothelial progenitor cells, wherein the pluripotent stem cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2, and (b) increasing expression of the at least one transcription factor from the expression vector in the corneal endothelial progenitor cells, thereby generating corneal endothelial cells, and a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier.

[0065] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0066] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0067] The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells, comprising an expression level of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 in the population of corneal endothelial cells, which is increased compared to the endogenous expression level of the transcription factor.

[0068] In one embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells are mature corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B and MRGPRX3 compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0069] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0070] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0071] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells of the population of corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B and LMX1B compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells of the population of corneal endothelial cells exhibit increased expression of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of COL8A1, COL8A2, SLC4A11 and MRGPRX3 compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0072] In another embodiment, the increased expression comprises exogenous expression of at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cell comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0073] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, where the expression vector comprises a self-cleaving sequence. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cell comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is a viral vector.

[0074] In one embodiment, the viral vector is selected from the group consisting of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector, an adenoviral vector, a lentiviral vector, a herpes simplex viral vector, a Sendai viral vector, and a retroviral vector. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cell comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is a non-viral vector.

[0075] In one embodiment, the non-viral vector is selected from the group consisting of plasmid DNA, linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), linear single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), nanoplasmid, minicircle DNA, single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ssODN), DDNA oligonucleotide, single-stranded mRNA (ssRNA), and double-stranded mRNA (dsRNA). In another embodiment, the non-viral vector comprises naked nucleic acid, liposomes, dendrimers, nanoparticles, lipid-polymer systems, solid lipid nanoparticles, and / or liposomal protamine / DNA lipoplexes (LPD).

[0076] In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cell comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector is an inducible expression vector. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cell comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding the at least one transcription factor.

[0077] In another embodiment, the promoter is an endogenous promoter. In another embodiment, the promoter is an artificial promoter. In another embodiment, the promoter is an inducible promoter. In one embodiment, the transcription factor is PITX2.

[0078] In another embodiment, increased expression of PITX2 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the transcription factor is FOXC1. In another embodiment, increased expression of FOXC1 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of corneal endothelial cells.

[0079] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is TFAP2B. In another embodiment, increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of corneal endothelial cells.

[0080] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is LMX1B. In another embodiment, increased expression of LMX1B comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of corneal endothelial cells.

[0081] In another embodiment, the transcription factor is POU6F2. In another embodiment, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of corneal endothelial cells.

[0082] In another embodiment, the population of corneal endothelial cells is a population of mature corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. In another embodiment, the population of corneal endothelial cells comprises at least 10 6corneal endothelial cells.

[0083] The present invention also provides a pluripotent stem cell comprising an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2.

[0084] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0085] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0086] In one embodiment, the expression vector is a viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is a non-viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is an inducible expression vector.

[0087] In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the promoter is an endogenous promoter. In another embodiment, the promoter is an artificial promoter.

[0088] In another embodiment, the promoter is an inducible promoter. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cell comprises a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the gene switch construct is a transcriptional gene switch construct.

[0089] In another embodiment, the gene switch construct is a post-transcriptional gene switch construct. The present invention also provides a corneal endothelial cell comprising an expression vector containing a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B, and POU6F2.

[0090] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0091] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60. In one embodiment, the corneal endothelial cells are mature corneal endothelial cells. In another embodiment, the expression vector is a viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is a non-viral vector. In another embodiment, the expression vector is an inducible expression vector.

[0092] In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor. In another embodiment, the promoter is an endogenous promoter. In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the promoter is an artificial promoter.

[0093] In another embodiment, the expression vector comprises a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor, where the promoter is an inducible promoter. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cell comprises a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0094] In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cell comprises a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a transcriptional gene switch construct. In another embodiment, the pluripotent stem cell comprises a gene switch construct encoding at least one transcription factor, wherein the gene switch construct is a post-transcriptional gene switch construct.

[0095] The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition of corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising the corneal endothelial cells of the present invention. The present invention also provides a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition of corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells prepared by the method of the present invention.

[0096] The present invention also provides a method of treating a disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, each according to the present invention, thereby treating the disease in the subject.

[0097] The present invention also provides a method of treating a disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, each prepared by the method of the present invention, thereby treating the disease in the cornea of ​​the subject.

[0098] In one embodiment, the disease is selected from the group consisting of Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy, congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophies, corneal dystrophies, and late-onset endothelial failure in corneal transplants.

[0099] The present invention also provides a method of treating a subject in need thereof, wherein the subject exhibits symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, wherein the subject has ocular damage resulting from contact lens use or cataract surgery, or wherein the subject has sustained surgical trauma, said method comprising administering to the subject a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or corneal endothelial cells, each according to the present invention, thereby treating the subject.

[0100] The present invention also provides a method of treating a subject in need thereof, wherein the subject exhibits symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, wherein the subject has ocular damage resulting from contact lens use or cataract surgery, or wherein the subject has sustained surgical trauma, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, each prepared by the method of the present invention, thereby treating the subject.

[0101] The present invention also provides a kit comprising a composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, each according to the present invention.

[0102] The present invention also provides a kit comprising a composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, corneal endothelial cells, or a composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial cells, a composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising corneal endothelial cells, each prepared by the method of the present invention.

[0103] In one embodiment, the kit comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2.

[0104] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 to SEQ ID NO: 6. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO: 9-SEQ ID NO: 11. In one aspect, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:12 to SEQ ID NO:13.

[0105] In one embodiment, PITX2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 51 to SEQ ID NO: 53. In one embodiment, FOXC1 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 54. In some embodiments, TFAP2B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 55. In some embodiments, LMX1B comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO: 56-SEQ ID NO: 58. In one embodiment, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:59 or SEQ ID NO:60.

[0106] The present invention also provides a kit comprising at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2. The present invention is further explained by the following detailed description and drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0107] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for generating CECs, e.g., mature CECs, from pluripotent stem cells. Neural crest differentiation was induced from hPSCs for 6 days. After 6 days, the medium was changed to medium that supports maturation. Lentiviral infection was performed on day 10, and samples from days 14 and 21 (or from samples at about d14 to about d28) were assayed by qPCR for expression of transcription factors expressed by the transduced lentivirus.

[0108] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a panel of bar graphs showing the expression levels of transcription factors (PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, and LMX1B) at day 21 after introduction of these transcription factors into iPSC-derived corneal endothelial progenitor cells by transduction with lentiviruses expressing these transcription factors. Transduction was performed on day 10 of differentiation of iPSC-derived CECs, and qPCR analysis was performed on day 21 of differentiation. Infection was achieved using either a vector:culture medium volume ratio of 1:10 or 1:50. The levels of expression of the transcription factors in the transduced cells were increased compared to control cells treated with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or polybrene.

[0109] [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a panel of bar graphs showing expression levels of immature-to-mature CEC marker COL8A1 and mature CEC marker Slc4a11 during CEC differentiation of corneal endothelial progenitor cells transduced with lentiviruses expressing PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, and LMX1B, alone or in various combinations. Infection was achieved with either a 1:10 or 1:50 volume ratio of vector:culture medium. qPCR analysis was performed on day 21 of differentiation of iPSC-derived CECs. Immature-to-mature (COL8A1) and mature (SLC4A11) CEC markers were upregulated by cells treated with GFP or polybrene alone. The increase in expression was higher in the presence of puromycin.

[0110] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a panel of bar graphs showing expression of transcription factors PITX2 (A), FOXC1 (B), and TFAP2B (C) in hPSC lines stably infected with vectors expressing the transcription factors. Transcription factors were introduced alone or in combination with other transcription factors. Infection was achieved using either a 1:10 or 1:50 volume ratio of vector:culture medium followed by puromycin selection. Bar graphs D and E show expression of the immature-to-mature CEC marker COL8A1 (D) and mature CEC marker SLC4A11 (E) upon increased expression of various transcription factors in stably infected hPSC lines. Expression was determined by qPCR analysis. Levels of expression of COL8A1 (D) and mature CEC marker SLC4A11 were increased in cells engineered to express one or more transcription factors compared to control cells treated with GFP alone.

[0111] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a table showing transcription factor isoforms abundant in human corneal endothelial cells. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a panel of bar graphs showing RNA expression levels of vascular endothelial markers vWF and CD31 in CEC cells generated by methods as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0112] Detailed Description The present invention provides an efficient and effective method for producing CECs, e.g., mature CECs. The method includes increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells, e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells, to produce CECs, e.g., mature CECs. Compositions produced by these methods are also provided by the present invention, as are methods of using these compositions. CECs, e.g., mature CECs, are produced through directed differentiation of pluripotent or multipotent stem cells, including human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and somatic cells, including transdifferentiated cells and stem cells such as neural crest stem cells. The method of the present invention is efficient and effective, and results in the generation of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, which can be used for a variety of applications disclosed herein, e.g., for the treatment of eye diseases, e.g., corneal diseases. It is anticipated that these cells may provide an alternative to the troublesome collection of donor corneas for therapeutic use.

[0113] The following detailed description discloses how to make and use the invention. In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, certain terms are first defined. It should also be noted that whenever a value or range of values ​​for a parameter is listed, it is intended that values ​​and ranges intermediate to the listed values ​​are also part of the invention.

[0114] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification, reference to phrases such as "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of phrases such as "in one embodiment" in various places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0115] definition Unless otherwise specified, each of the following terms has the meaning set forth in this section. The indefinite articles "a" and "an" refer to at least one of the associated noun and are used interchangeably with the terms "at least one" and "one or more." The conjunctions "or" and "and / or" are used interchangeably as non-exclusive disjunctions. According to the present application, the term "about" means + / - 5% of the reference value.

[0116] "Corneal endothelial cells" or "CECs" generally refer to mitochondria-rich cells that line the posterior surface of the cornea and the surface of the anterior chamber of the eye (in vivo). CECs can also be generated from another cell type, for example, by differentiation of neural crest stem cells, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), using the methods described herein. Differentiation of CECs from NCSCs, ES cells or iPS cells can be identified or recognized by their displaying one or more of the attributes of intrinsic CECs, such as expression of CEC markers, ability to form a monolayer of uniformly sized cells with a predominantly hexagonal shape, ability to form a "leaky pump" that allows leakage of solutes and nutrients from the aqueous fluid into the more superficial layers of the cornea while at the same time actively pumping water from the corneal stroma to the aqueous side in the opposite direction. Exemplary CEC markers include, but are not limited to, the following: Na + / K + ATPase, ZO-1, KLF13, AQP1, collagen VIII, SLC16A3, CFTR, NBC1, CA2, AE2 SCL4A2, SCL16A1, CA12, CA4, FOXC1. For example, CECs typically express collagen VIII, Na + K + CECs express ATPase pump and ZO-1, but do not express vWF and CD31 (the latter of which is present in vascular endothelial cells). In addition, CECs express one or more corneal endothelial pump markers, including: Na + / K +ATPase, SLC4A4, SLC4A11, AQP1, CA2, CA4, CA12, SCL14A2, SLC16A1, SLC16A3, SLC16A7, CFTR, NHE1, ADCY10, voltage-dependent anion channels VDAC2 and VDAC3, chloride channel proteins CLCN2 and CLC), markers of periocular neural crest (which include PITX2, and FOXC1), and / or cell adhesion and matrix proteins (which include: occludin, connexin 43, 9.3E antigen, collagen III, collagen IV, N-cadherin, VE-cadherin, E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p120, p190 laminin alpha 4, nidogen-2, and netrin 4). For example, the CEC may express at least one corneal endothelial pump marker, at least one periocular neural crest marker, and at least one cell adhesion and matrix protein. Corneal endothelial cells include mature corneal endothelial cells as defined herein.

[0117] In yet another embodiment, the CECs exhibit a global gene expression profile that is indicative of CEC maturation. The global gene expression profile can be obtained by any method known in the art, such as transcriptome analysis or microarray analysis.

[0118] The term "mature corneal endothelial cells" or "mature CECs" as used herein refers to CECs that show markers associated with mature phenotype, including one or more of COL8A1, COL8A2, SLC4A11 and MRGPRX3. Mature CECs form a monolayer of uniformly sized cells with predominantly hexagonal or polygonal morphology, where the cells show firm adhesion to each other and the ability to form tight junctions that form a barrier that maintains dehydration of the corneal stroma. Mature CECs show high levels of pump function, due in part to the firm adhesion of mature CECs to each other, the ability to form tight junctions, the number of tight junctions between cells, and the expression of proteins that regulate the corneal endothelial pump. Tight junctions form a barrier to reduce water flow into the corneal stroma, and improved pump activity enhances the maintenance of correct fluid levels in the cornea. Mature corneal endothelial cells can also show resistance to oxidative stress. Mature corneal endothelial cells can express markers associated with pump function, such as SLC4A11 and SLC4A4. As an additional marker associated with pump function that can be expressed in mature corneal endothelial cells, Na + / K + ATPase, AQP1, CA2, CA4, CA12, SCL14A2, SLC16A1, SLC16A3, SLC16A7, CFTR, NHE1, ADCY10, voltage-dependent anion channels VDAC2 and VDAC3, chloride channel proteins CLCN2 and CLC.

[0119] Mature CECs can show efficacy in vivo, for example, after transplantation of mature corneal endothelial cells into a subject with a corneal disorder, where the mature corneal endothelial cells can engraft on the recipient cornea and form a monolayer of cells that form tight junctions. Engraftment can be achieved using methods known to those skilled in the art. For example, engraftment can be achieved by the use of bioengineered corneal grafts that utilize biomaterials (see, for example, PCT Publication No. WO2019 / 198086, filed April 11, 2019). By forming tight junctions and expressing markers associated with pump function, mature CECs can improve the pump function of the recipient cornea in vivo, which results in increased corneal transparency. Transplanted mature CECs can also reduce the thickness of the recipient cornea and increase the transparency of the recipient cornea. Additional markers that can be expressed in mature corneal endothelial cells include, but are not limited to, PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B, AQP1, ATP1A1, TJP1, NCAM1, CDH2, SLC4A4, CD166, POU6F2, CD248 and MRGPRX3.In one embodiment, the markers that are expressed in mature corneal endothelial cells are PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2b, LMX1B and MRGPRX3.In one embodiment, the markers that are expressed in mature corneal endothelial cells are PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B and LMX1B. In one embodiment, the markers expressed in mature corneal endothelial cells are COL8A1, COL8A2, SLC4A11 and MRGPRX3.

[0120] "Neural crest stem cell" or "NCSC" generally refers to neural progenitor cells that have the developmental potential to generate various cell types, such as melanocytes, craniofacial, peripheral nervous system, glia, smooth muscle, keratocytes, and corneal endothelium.Neural crest stem cells can be differentiated from iPSCs or hES cells, for example, using dual SMAD inhibitors as described herein or as described in WO / 2010 / 096496 or US9,752,118 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Neural crest stem cells can be differentiated from hES cells or iPSCs using a combination of a Wnt agonist (such as Wnt3a and / or (2'Z,3'E)-6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO)) and a SMAD inhibitor (such as SB431542 and / or Noggin); see Menendez et al., PNAS, November 29, 2011, Vol. 108, No. 48, 19240-19245. For example, efficient induction of NCSCs was reported after contacting hESCs with SB431542 and BIO (with or without Noggin), or with Wnt3a and SB431542. NCSCs may also be obtained from cultures of neural rosettes, for example, by culturing hES cells on MS5 stromal feeder cells (see Lee, et al., Stem Cells 25 (8), 1931-1393 (2007); which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. NCSCs can also be obtained from a number of tissues, including in the developing embryo, in the neural tube, sciatic nerve, gut, and dorsal root ganglion; and in juveniles and adults, in the dorsal root ganglion, bone marrow, skin, heart, cornea, teeth, and caratoid body.See Nagoshi et al., Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 107:1046-1052 (2009); Crane and Trainor, Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 2006. 22:267-86; and Blum, Brain Research Bulletin 83 (2010) 189-193; each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0121] Neural crest stem cells can be identified by the expression of markers identified herein and known in the art.Exemplary neural crest stem cell markers include, but are not limited to: SOX10, AP2, HNK1, PAX3, PAX7 and p75 (NGFR), and low or absent Pax6 expression.Periocular mesenchyme (POM) is a subpopulation of neural crest cells that is positive for PITX2 and FOXC1, and can also express TFAP2B and / or LMX1B.

[0122] The term "corneal endothelial progenitor cells" generally refers to early to mid-stage CEC markers (ZO1, Na + / K + This refers to post-neural crest cells that are beginning to acquire some characteristics of CECs, such as expression of markers such as ATPase, N-cadherin, NCAM1, CD166, PITX2, FOXC1, COL8A1, TFAP2B, SLC4A4, and the ability to form monolayers of polygonal or hexagonal cells. These cells do not necessarily express CEC markers at the same levels as mature CECs or at the same % levels of expression as mature CECs.

[0123] As used herein, the term "marker" or "cell marker" refers to a gene (e.g., RNA) or protein whose presence identifies a particular cell or cell type. A marker for a cell may not be limited to one marker, and may refer to a "pattern" of markers, such as a pattern including the expression of some markers and the absence or low expression of other markers that are indicative of other cell types, such that a specified group of markers may identify one cell or cell type from another. For example, a population of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be positive for a marker of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, and negative for a marker that is indicative of other cell types, such as the absence of a marker expressed in other endothelial cell types, the absence of a marker expressed by hES cells or iPSCs, and / or the absence of a marker expressed by neural crest stem cells. In addition, when the expression of a marker is detected by a cell staining method (e.g., immunofluorescence, etc.), a cell may be identified as positive for a particular marker given a predicted staining pattern, such as the tight junction localization of the marker ZO-1. The expression of the markers can be detected by any method known in the art, including but not limited to: Western blotting, mRNA amplification-based methods (e.g., PCR, isothermal amplification, etc., which may include reverse transcription and may be applied to detect expression from a single cell or multiple cells), Northern blotting, immunostaining, etc. In addition, the expression of the markers may be inferred by the expression of a reporter construct (e.g., a fluorescent protein, the expression of which can be detected visually, an antibiotic resistance gene, the expression of which can be detected by the survival of the cells in the presence of an antibiotic, etc.) under the control of a genetic element that confers cell-type specific expression, such as a promoter of one of the aforementioned markers or a fragment thereof.Exemplary reporter constructs from the literature are pOCT4-GFP and pOCT4-LUC genes, which drive the expression of GFP and luciferase, respectively, and the expression of either of these can be easily detected in ES cells using conventional methods. Additional methods for detecting the expression of markers that can be used are known in the art. See generally Ausubel, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (Current Protocols, 1988); Ausubel et al., Short Protocols in Molecular Biology (Current Protocols; 5th Edition, 2002); Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 3rd Edition, 2001); Sambrook et al., The Condensed Protocols from Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2006); each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0124] As used herein, "increase" or "increased," when referring to the level of expression or activity, means an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to a control level of expression or activity. "Increased," when referring to the level of expression or activity, means an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 79%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100% compared to a control level of expression or activity.

[0125] The term "increasing expression" as used herein refers to increasing the level and / or activity of the nucleic acid, e.g., RNA or DNA, encoding the transcription factor disclosed herein, and / or increasing the level and / or activity of the transcription factor disclosed herein, compared with the endogenous nucleic acid level and / or protein level of the transcription factor.In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor comprises contacting a cell (e.g., a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a pluripotent stem cell, e.g., an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell) with at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor comprises transducing a cell (e.g., a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a pluripotent stem cell, e.g., an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell) with a viral vector encoding at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor comprises transfecting a cell (e.g., a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a pluripotent stem cell, e.g., an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell) with an expression vector encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0126] In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of the at least one transcription factor in a cell (e.g., a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a pluripotent stem cell, e.g., an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell). In some embodiments, increasing expression of at least one transcription factor comprises an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, 150%, 200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, or 1000% compared to the endogenous expression level of at least one transcription factor in a cell (e.g., a corneal endothelial cell, or a pluripotent stem cell, e.g., an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell).

[0127] As used herein, "decrease" or "decreased", when referring to the level of expression or activity, means a decrease of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to a control level of expression or activity. "Decreased", when referring to the level of expression or activity, means an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 79%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100% compared to a control level of expression or activity.

[0128] Various methods of the present invention include a step that includes comparing a value, level, feature, characteristic, and / or characteristic to a "control". A "control" can be any control or standard that is familiar to a person skilled in the art and useful for comparison purposes. In one embodiment, a "control" is a value, level, feature, characteristic, characteristic, etc., that is determined before increasing the expression of a transcription factor in a cell, such as a pluripotent stem cell, a corneal endothelial progenitor cell, a CEC, such as a mature CEC as described herein. For example, the level of expression of a transcription factor, the level of expression of a marker of CEC lineage cells, CEC, such as a mature CEC activity, or the morphology, such as pump function, resistance to oxidative stress, or tight junction formation in a population of cells, may be determined before expressing a transcription factor in a cell or in the absence of a transcription factor. In another embodiment, a "control" is a value, level, feature, characteristic, characteristic, etc., that is determined in a cell or organism, such as a control or normal cell or organism, for example, exhibiting a normal genetic trait. In yet another embodiment, the "control" is a predefined value, level, feature, characteristic, property, etc., that is determined prior to expression of the transcription factor. In yet another embodiment, the "control" refers to a corneal endothelial progenitor cell, which can be a control for CECs, e.g., mature CECs.

[0129] A "control cell" refers to a cell against which a cell expressing a transcription factor is compared. A "control cell" may not express a transcription factor. A "control cell" may be contacted with an expression vector that expresses a transcription factor under different conditions, including dosage, length of time, etc., compared to the cell it controls.

[0130] The term "endogenous" as used herein refers to the native form of a nucleic acid, polynucleotide, oligonucleotide, DNA, RNA, gene, peptide, or polypeptide in its natural location in the cell or in the genome of the cell.

[0131] As used herein, "exogenous" refers to a nucleic acid, polynucleotide, oligonucleotide, DNA, RNA, gene, peptide, or polypeptide that originates outside the cell or outside the genome of the cell.

[0132] The term "maturation" as used herein refers to the process that is required for cells, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells, to become more specialized and / or functional, such as to become similar to their functional state in vivo.In one embodiment, the process that corneal endothelial progenitor cells become CECs, such as mature CECs, is referred to as maturation.

[0133] As used herein, the term "pluripotent stem cells", "PS cells", or "PSCs" includes embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and embryo-derived pluripotent stem cells, regardless of the method by which the pluripotent stem cells are derived. Pluripotent stem cells are functionally defined as stem cells that (a) can induce teratomas when transplanted in immune-deficient (SCID) mice; (b) can differentiate into cell types of all three germ layers (e.g., can differentiate into ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal cell types); (c) express one or more markers of embryonic stem cells (e.g., express OCT4, alkaline phosphatase, SSEA-3 surface antigen, SSEA-4 surface antigen, NANOG, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SOX2, REX1, etc.); and (d) can self-renew. The term "pluripotency" refers to the ability of a cell to form all cell lineages of the body or cell body (i.e., embryo proper). For example, embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are types of pluripotent stem cells that can form cells from each of the three lung lobes: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. Pluripotency is a continuum of developmental potential, ranging from incompletely or partially pluripotent cells that cannot give rise to a complete organism, to more primitive, more pluripotent cells (e.g., embryonic stem cells) that can give rise to a complete organism. Exemplary pluripotent stem cells can be generated, for example, using methods known in the art. Exemplary pluripotent stem cells include, but are not limited to, embryonic stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst stage embryos, embryonic stem cells derived from one or more blastomeres of cleavage stage or morula stage embryos (optionally without destroying the rest of the embryo), induced pluripotent stem cells generated by reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotent stage, and pluripotent cells generated from embryonic germ (EG) cells (e.g., by culturing in the presence of FGF-2, LIF and SCF). Such embryonic stem cells can be generated from embryonic material produced by fertilization or by asexual means, including somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), parthenogenesis, and androgenesis.

[0134] In one embodiment, pluripotent stem cells can be genetically engineered or otherwise modified, for example, to increase lifespan, potency, homing, prevent or reduce immune response, or deliver desired factors obtained from such pluripotent cells in cells (e.g., corneal endothelial cells).For example, pluripotent stem cells, and thus resulting differentiated cells, can be engineered or otherwise modified to delete or reduce the expression of class I genes, including beta 2 microglobulin, HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-E, HLA-F and HLA-G, TAP1, TAP2, tapasin, CTIIA, RFX5, TRAC, or TRAB genes. As described in WO2012145384 and WO2013158292 (which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety), in some embodiments, the cells, such as pluripotent stem cells, and the resulting differentiated cells, such as mature CECs, comprise a genetically engineered break in the beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) gene. In some embodiments, the cells further comprise a polynucleotide capable of encoding a single-chain fusion human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I protein comprising at least a portion of the B2M protein covalently linked, directly or via a linker sequence, to at least a portion of the HLA-1 alpha chain. In some embodiments, the HLA-1 alpha chain is selected from HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-E, HLA-F and HLA-G. In some embodiments, the cells comprise a genetically engineered break in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II associated gene. In some embodiments, the HLA class II associated gene is selected from regulator X-related ankyrin-containing protein (RFXANK), regulator 5 (RFX5), regulator X-related protein (RFXAP), class II transactivator (CIITA), HLA-DPA (alpha chain), HLA-DPB (beta chain), HLA-DQA, HLA-DQB, HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB, HLA-DMA, HLA-DMB, HLA-DOA and HLA-DOB.In some embodiments, the cells comprise one or more polynucleotides encoding a single chain fusion HLA class II protein or an HLA class II protein.

[0135] Pluripotent stem cells and resulting differentiated cells may be engineered or otherwise modified to increase gene expression.In one embodiment, pluripotent stem cells may be engineered to express or increase the expression of one or more of the transcription factors of the present invention.There are various techniques for engineering cells to regulate the expression of one or more genes (or proteins), including the use of viral vectors such as AAV vectors, zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and CRISPR / Cas-based methods for genome engineering, and the use of transcription and translation inhibitors such as antisense and RNA interference (which can be achieved using stably integrated vectors and episomal vectors).

[0136] The term "embryo" or "embryonic" refers to a developing mass of cells that has not been implanted into the uterine membrane of a maternal host. An "embryonic cell" is a cell isolated from or contained in an embryo. It also includes blastomeres obtained as early as the two-cell stage, or aggregated blastomeres following extraction.

[0137] The term "embryonic-derived cells" (EDCs), as used herein, broadly refers to morula-derived cells, blastocyst-derived cells, including those of the inner cell mass, embryonic shield, or epiblast, or other pluripotent stem cells of the early embryo, including primitive endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm and their derivatives. "EDCs" also includes aggregated single blastomeres from various stages of development or blastomeres and cell masses from embryos, but excludes human embryonic stem cells that have been passaged as cell lines.

[0138] The term "embryonic stem cell", "ES cell", or "ESC" as used herein broadly refers to cells isolated from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst or a morula and serially passaged as a cell line. The term also includes cells isolated from one or more blastomeres of an embryo, preferably without destroying the remainder of the embryo (see, e.g., Chung et al., Cell Stem Cell. 2008 Feb 7;2(2):1 13-7; U.S. Publication No. 20060206953; U.S. Publication No. 2008 / 0057041; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). ES cells can be derived from fertilization of egg cells with sperm or DNA, nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, or by any means to generate ES cells with homozygosity in the HLA region. ES cells may also refer to cells derived from mammalian embryos at the zygote, blastomere, or blastocyst stage, produced by sperm and egg cell fusion, nuclear transfer, parthenogenesis, or reprogramming of chromatin and subsequent integration of the reprogrammed chromatin into the cell membrane to generate cells. In one embodiment, the embryonic stem cells may be human embryonic stem cells (or "hES cells"). In one embodiment, the human embryonic stem cells are not derived from embryos that are more than 14 days old from fertilization. In another embodiment, the human embryonic stem cells are not derived from embryos that have developed in vivo. In another embodiment, the human embryonic stem cells are derived from preimplantation embryos produced by in vitro fertilization.

[0139] "Induced pluripotent stem cells" or "iPS cells" or "iPSCs" as used herein generally refer to pluripotent stem cells obtained by reprogramming somatic cells. iPS cells can be generated by expressing or inducing the expression of a combination of factors ("reprogramming factors") in somatic cells, such as OCT4 (sometimes referred to as OCT3 / 4), SOX2, MYC (e.g., c-MYC or any MYC variant), NANOG, LIN28 and KLF4. In one embodiment, the reprogramming factors include OCT4, SOX2, c-MYC and KLF4. In another embodiment, the reprogramming factors include OCT4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28. In some embodiments, at least two reprogramming factors are expressed in somatic cells to successfully reprogram somatic cells. In other embodiments, at least three reprogramming factors are expressed in somatic cells to successfully reprogram somatic cells. In other embodiments, at least four reprogramming factors are expressed in somatic cells to successfully reprogram somatic cells.In another embodiment, at least five reprogramming factors are expressed in somatic cells to successfully reprogram somatic cells.In yet another embodiment, at least six reprogramming factors are expressed in somatic cells, such as OCT4, SOX2, c-MYC, NANOG, LIN28 and KLF4.In other embodiments, additional reprogramming factors are identified and used alone or in combination with one or more known reprogramming factors to reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells.

[0140] iPS cells may be made using fetal, postnatal, neonatal, juvenile or adult somatic cells.Somatic cells may include, but are not limited to: fibroblasts, keratinocytes, adipocytes, muscle cells, organ and tissue cells, and various blood cells, including but not limited to hematopoietic cells (e.g. hematopoietic stem cells).In one embodiment, somatic cells are fibroblasts, such as skin fibroblasts, synovial fibroblasts or lung fibroblasts, or non-fibroblastic somatic cells.

[0141] iPS cells can be obtained from cell bank.Alternatively, iPS cells can be newly generated by methods known in the art.iPS cells can be specifically generated using materials from a specific patient or matched donor for the purpose of generating tissue-matched cells.In one embodiment, iPS cells can be universal donor cells that are substantially non-immunogenic.

[0142] Induced pluripotent stem cells may be generated by expressing or inducing the expression of one or more reprogramming factors in somatic cells. Reprogramming factors may be expressed in somatic cells by infection with a viral vector, such as, but not limited to, a lentiviral or retroviral vector, or other gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR, Talen, zinc finger nuclease (ZFN). Reprogramming factors may also be expressed in somatic cells using non-integrative vectors, such as episomal plasmids, or RNA, such as synthetic mRNA, or RNA viruses, such as Sendai virus. When reprogramming factors are expressed using non-integrative vectors, the factors may be expressed in cells using electroporation, transfection, or transformation of somatic cells with the vector. For example, in mouse cells, expression of four factors (OCT3 / 4, SOX2, c-MYC, and KLF4) using an integrative viral vector is sufficient to reprogram somatic cells. In human cells, expression of four factors (OCT3 / 4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28) using integrating viral vectors is sufficient to reprogram somatic cells.

[0143] Expression of the reprogramming factors may be induced by contacting the somatic cells with at least one agent that induces expression of the reprogramming factors, such as a small organic molecule agent. Somatic cells may also be reprogrammed using combinatorial approaches in which reprogramming factors are expressed (e.g., using viral vectors, plasmids, etc.) and expression of the reprogramming factors is induced (e.g., using small organic molecules).

[0144] After reprogramming factor is expressed or induced in cells, cells can be cultured.Over time, cells with ES characteristics appear in culture dish.Cells can be selected and subcultured, for example, based on ES cell morphology or based on the expression of selectable or detectable marker.Cells can be cultured to generate a culture of cells similar to ES cells.

[0145] To confirm the pluripotency of iPS cells, cells can be tested in one or more pluripotency assays.For example, cells can be tested for the expression of ES cell markers;cells can be evaluated for the ability to produce teratomas when transplanted into SCID mice;cells can be evaluated for the ability to differentiate to produce the cell types of all three germ layers.

[0146] iPS cells can be from any species. These iPS cells have been successfully generated using mouse and human cells. In addition, iPS cells have been successfully generated using embryonic, fetal, neonatal, and adult tissues. Thus, iPS cells can be easily generated using donor cells from any species. Thus, iPS cells can be generated from any species, including, but not limited to, human, non-human primates, rodents (mouse, rat), ungulates (cow, sheep, etc.), dogs (domestic and wild dogs), cats (domestic and wild cats, e.g. lion, tiger, cheetah), rabbits, hamsters, goats, elephants, pandas (including giant pandas), pigs, raccoons, horses, zebras, marine mammals (dolphins, whales, etc.), and the like.

[0147] "Effective amount" as used herein broadly refers to an amount of a compound or cells that, when administered to a patient to treat a disease, is sufficient to effect such treatment for the disease. An effective amount may be an amount effective for prophylaxis and / or for prevention. An effective amount may be an amount effective to reduce the occurrence of a sign / symptom, to prevent, to reduce the severity of the occurrence of a sign / symptom, to eliminate the occurrence of a sign / symptom, to slow the development of the occurrence of a sign / symptom, to prevent the development of the occurrence of a sign / symptom, and / or to effect prophylaxis of the occurrence of a sign / symptom. An "effective amount" may vary depending on the disease and its severity, as well as the age, weight, medical history, susceptibility and pre-existing conditions of the patient to be treated. The term "effective amount" is synonymous with "therapeutically effective amount" for the purposes of the present invention.

[0148] The term "contacting" (e.g., contacting a cell, such as a corneal endothelial progenitor cell, or a pluripotent stem cell, such as an embryonic stem cell or an induced pluripotent stem cell, with a transcription factor(s) according to the present invention) is intended to include any method of introducing a transcription factor(s) into a cell and / or incubating the transcription factor(s) together with the cell in vitro (e.g., adding a transcription factor(s) to a cell in culture). In some embodiments, the term "contacting" is not intended to include the in vivo exposure of a cell to a transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein that is naturally present in a subject. The step of contacting a cell with a transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein can be carried out in any suitable manner. The cells may be treated in adherent culture or in suspension culture, and the transcription factor(s) may be added substantially simultaneously (e.g., together in a cocktail) or sequentially (e.g., within an hour, within a day, or later after adding the first transcription factor). It is understood that the cells contacted with the transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein may also be contacted simultaneously or subsequently with another agent, such as a growth factor or other differentiation agent or environment, to stabilize the cells or to further differentiate the cells. In one embodiment, contacting the cells with the transcription factor may include transducing the cells with a vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding the transcription factor(s), or transfecting the cells with an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding the transcription factor(s), and culturing the cells under conditions known in the art, for example, for culturing pluripotent and / or differentiated cells, for example, as further described in the examples.

[0149] "Contacting" also refers to contacting a cell, e.g., a pluripotent stem cell, a corneal endothelial progenitor cell, a neural crest stem cell, a CEC, e.g., a mature CEC, with an agent that regulates expression of an inducible expression vector expressing a transcription factor, e.g., an agent that activates / induces expression of a transcription factor from a vector comprising an inducible promoter or a vector comprising a gene switch, e.g., a small molecule agent.

[0150] The term "contacting" (e.g., contacting corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells with the transcription factor(s) according to the present invention) is intended to include any method of introducing the transcription factor(s) into the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells and / or incubating the transcription factor(s) together with the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells in vitro (e.g., adding the transcription factor(s) to the cells in culture). In some embodiments, the term "contacting" is not intended to include in vivo exposure of the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells to the transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein that are naturally present in the subject. The step of contacting the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells with the transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein can be carried out in any suitable manner. The cells may be treated in adherent culture or in suspension culture, and the transcription factor(s) may be added substantially simultaneously (e.g., together in a cocktail) or sequentially (e.g., within 1 hour, within 1 day, or later after adding the first transcription factor). It is understood that the cells contacted with the transcription factor(s) as disclosed herein may also be contacted simultaneously or subsequently with another agent, such as a growth factor or other differentiation agent or environment, to stabilize the cells or to further differentiate the cells. In one embodiment, contacting the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells with the transcription factor may include transducing the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells with a vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding the transcription factor(s), or transfecting the corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells with an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding the transcription factor(s), and culturing the cells under conditions known in the art, for example, for culturing differentiated cells, for example, as further described in the examples.

[0151] As used herein, the term "differentiation" is the process by which an unspecialized ("uncommitted") or less specialized cell acquires the characteristics of a specialized cell, such as, for example, a CEC, e.g., a mature CEC. A differentiated cell is one that has adopted a more specialized position within a cell's lineage. For example, iPSCs or hES cells can be differentiated into a variety of more differentiated cell types, including CECs, e.g., mature CECs. In certain embodiments, differentiation of cells is performed in vitro and excludes in vivo differentiation.

[0152] As used herein, the term "cultured" or "culturing" refers to placing cells in a medium containing nutrients required to sustain life of the cultured cells, including, among other things, any specialized supplemental substances. Cells are cultured "in the presence" of a specialized substance if the medium in which such cells are maintained contains such a specialized substance. Culturing can be performed in any vessel or device, including, without limitation, a petri dish, culture dish, blood collection bag, roller bottle, flask, test tube, microtiter well, hollow fiber cartridge, or any other device known in the art, in which the cells can be maintained exposed to the medium.

[0153] As used herein, the term "subculturing" or "passaging" refers to transferring some or all of the cells from a previous culture into fresh growth medium and / or seeding onto a new culture dish to further culture the cells. Subculturing may be performed, for example, to extend the lifespan of the cells in culture, to enrich it for a desired cell population, and / or to increase their numbers. For example, the term includes transferring, culturing, or seeding some or all of the cells into a new culture vessel at a lower cell density to allow for cell proliferation.

[0154] As used herein, "administration", "administering" and variants thereof refer to the introduction of a composition or agent into a subject, including simultaneous and sequential introduction of the composition or agent. "Administration" can refer to, for example, therapeutic, pharmacokinetic, diagnostic, research, placebo, and experimental methods. "Administration" also encompasses in vitro and ex vivo treatments. Administration includes self-administration and administration by another person. Administration can be by any suitable route. A suitable route of administration allows the composition or agent to perform its intended function. For example, if the suitable route is intravenous, the composition is administered by introducing the composition or agent into the subject's vein.

[0155] As used herein, the terms "subject", "individual", "host", and "patient" are used interchangeably herein and refer to any mammalian subject, particularly humans, for whom diagnosis, treatment or therapy is desired. The methods described herein are applicable to both human therapy and veterinary applications. In some embodiments, the subject is a mammal, and in particular embodiments, the subject is a human.

[0156] As used herein, the terms "therapeutic amount," "therapeutically effective amount," "effective amount," or "pharmaceutical effective amount" of an active agent (e.g., CECs, e.g., mature CECs) are used interchangeably to refer to an amount that is sufficient to provide the intended treatment benefit. However, dosage levels are based on a variety of factors, including the type of injury, the patient's age, weight, sex, medical condition, severity of the condition, route of administration, expected cell engraftment, long-term survival, and / or the particular active agent used. Thus, dosage regimens can vary widely, but can be routinely determined by a physician using standard methods. In addition, the terms "therapeutic amount," "therapeutically effective amount," and "pharmaceutical effective amount" include prophylactic or preventative amounts of the compositions of the described invention. In prophylactic or preventative applications of the described invention, the pharmaceutical composition or medicament is administered to a patient susceptible to or otherwise at risk of a disease, disorder or condition in an amount sufficient to eliminate or reduce the risk, to alleviate the severity, or to delay the onset of the disease, disorder or condition, including the biochemical, histological and / or behavioral symptoms of the disease, disorder or condition, its complications, and intermediate pathological phenotypes manifested during the development of the disease, disorder or condition. In general, it is preferred that a maximum dose, i.e., the highest safe dose according to some medical judgment, is used. The terms "dose" and "administration" are used interchangeably herein.

[0157] As used herein, the term "therapeutic effect" refers to an outcome of treatment that is deemed desirable and beneficial. Therapeutic effect may include, directly or indirectly, the arrest, reduction, or elimination of a disease manifestation. Therapeutic effect may also include, directly or indirectly, the arrest, reduction, or elimination of the progression of a disease manifestation.

[0158] For the therapeutic agents (e.g., CECs, e.g., mature CECs) described herein, the therapeutically effective amount may be determined in advance from in vitro studies and / or animal models. The therapeutically effective dose may also be determined from human data. The applied dose may be adjusted based on the relative bioavailability and potency of the administered compound. It is within the ability of a person skilled in the art to adjust the dose to achieve maximum efficacy based on the above and other well-known methods.

[0159] Pharmacokinetic principles provide a basis for modifying dosage regimens to obtain a desired degree of therapeutic efficacy while minimizing unacceptable adverse effects. In situations where the plasma concentration of an agent can be measured and correlated to a therapeutic window, further guidance for dosage modification can be obtained.

[0160] As used herein, the terms "treat", "treating" and / or "treatment" include abrogating, substantially inhibiting, slowing or reversing the progression of a condition, substantially ameliorating the clinical symptoms of a condition, or substantially preventing the appearance of clinical symptoms of a condition (e.g., a pathological condition), and obtaining a beneficial or desired clinical result. Treating further refers to achieving one or more of the following: (a) reducing the severity of the disorder; (b) limiting the development of symptoms characteristic of the disorder being treated; (c) limiting the worsening of symptoms characteristic of the disorder being treated; (d) limiting the recurrence of the disorder in patients who previously had the disorder; and (e) limiting the recurrence of symptoms in patients who were previously asymptomatic for the disorder.

[0161] Beneficial or desired clinical results, e.g., pharmacological and / or physiological effects, include, but are not limited to, preventing the occurrence of the disease, disorder or condition in a subject who may be predisposed to the disease, disorder or condition but has not yet experienced or displayed symptoms of the disease (prophylactic treatment), alleviating the symptoms of the disease, disorder or condition, reducing the severity of the disease, disorder or condition, stabilizing the disease, disorder or condition (i.e., not getting worse), preventing the spread of the disease, disorder or condition, slowing or slowing the progression of the disease, disorder or condition, remission or palliation of the disease, disorder or condition, and combinations thereof, as well as prolonging survival as compared to expected survival if not receiving treatment.

[0162] A "sign" of disease, as used herein, refers broadly to any abnormality that is indicative of disease and is detectable upon examination of a patient; it is an objective indicator of disease, as opposed to a symptom, which is a subjective indicator of disease.

[0163] A "symptom" of disease, as used herein, refers broadly to any morbid phenomenon or deviation from the normal in structure, function, or sensation experienced by a patient that is indicative of disease.

[0164] I. Methods of the Invention The present invention is based on the discovery of a method comprising increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 to promote the maturation of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, and thereby enabling the generation of mature and functional CECs. The method of the present invention is efficient and effective, and results in the generation of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, from, e.g., pluripotent stem cells, which can be used for the treatment of various applications disclosed herein, e.g., diseases or disorders that affect CECs (e.g., primary diseases such as Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy and congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy, as well as secondary diseases (including corneal dystrophies) in which effective treatment is replacement of the corneal endothelium, or in subjects that show symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, when the subject has ocular damage due to contact lens use or cataract surgery, or when the subject is considering corneal transplantation), or is amenable to treatment by transplantation or administration thereof.

[0165] In some embodiments, increasing the expression of PITX2 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of FOXC1 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0166] In some embodiments, increasing the expression of TFAP2B comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increasing expression of LMX1B includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0167] In some embodiments, increasing the expression of POU6F2 includes an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0168] In some embodiments, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises inducing expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0169] In some embodiments, corneal endothelial progenitor cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells, for example, induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells.Can use any method for differentiating pluripotent cells into corneal endothelial progenitor cells.For example, corneal endothelial progenitor cells can be obtained by differentiating pluripotent stem cells as described herein. In some embodiments, the pluripotent stem cells may be engineered to contain an expression vector that includes a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, the expression vector includes a promoter, such as an endogenous promoter, an artificial promoter, or an inducible promoter, operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0170] Cells for generating corneal endothelial cells In one embodiment of the present invention, a method and composition are disclosed for generating CEC, for example, mature CEC, by increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, and corneal endothelial progenitor cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells, for example, induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, fetal stem cells and / or adult stem cells.In further embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, and corneal endothelial progenitor cells may be derived from somatic cells.

[0171] A. Stem cells In the developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In the adult organism, stem and progenitor cells act as the body's repair system, replenishing specialized cells but also maintaining the normal turnover of regenerative organs such as blood, skin or intestinal tissue.

[0172] Pluripotent stem cells, such as human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are capable of long-term proliferation in vitro while retaining the potential to differentiate into all cell types of the body, including corneal endothelial progenitor cells. Thus, these cells can potentially provide an unlimited supply of patient-specific functional CECs for both drug development and transplantation therapy. In vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may involve the addition of various growth factors at various stages of differentiation and may require approximately 10-30 days of differentiation (see, e.g., Figure 1). Pluripotent stem cells offer an advantage over somatic cells as a starting cell population for differentiation of CECs due to their unlimited proliferation capacity.

[0173] Pluripotent stem cells, e.g., embryonic stem (ES) cells or iPS cells, may be the starting material for the disclosed methods. In any of the embodiments herein, the pluripotent stem cells may be human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). The pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) may be cultured in any manner known in the art, e.g., in the presence or absence of feeder cells. In addition, PSCs generated using any method may be used as starting material for generating CECs, e.g., mature CECs. For example, hES cells may be derived from a blastocyst stage embryo that was the product of in vitro fertilization of an egg with a sperm. Alternatively, hES cells may be derived from one or more blastomeres removed from an early cleavage stage embryo, optionally without destroying the remainder of the embryo. In yet other embodiments, hES cells may be generated using nuclear transfer. In further embodiments, iPSCs may be used. Previously cryopreserved PSCs may be used as starting material. In another embodiment, PSCs that have never been cryopreserved may be used.

[0174] In one aspect of the present invention, the PSCs are placed on an extracellular matrix under feeder or feeder-free conditions. In one embodiment, the PSCs are placed on an extracellular matrix containing laminin, fibronectin, vitronectin, MATRIGELThe cells can be cultured on an extracellular matrix, including, but not limited to, CellStart, collagen, or gelatin. In some embodiments, the extracellular matrix is ​​laminin, with or without e-cadherin. In some embodiments, the laminin may be selected from the group including laminin 521, laminin 511, or iMatrix 511. In some embodiments, the feeder cells are human feeder cells, such as human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). In other embodiments, the feeder cells are mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF).

[0175] In some embodiments, the medium used in culturing PSCs can be selected from any medium suitable for culturing PSCs.In some embodiments, any medium that can support PSC culture can be used.For example, the skilled artisan can select from commercially available or proprietary medium.

[0176] The medium supporting pluripotency may be any such medium known in the art. In some embodiments, the medium supporting pluripotency is Nutrisem™. In some embodiments, the medium supporting pluripotency is TeSR™. In some embodiments, the medium supporting pluripotency is StemFit™. In other embodiments, the medium supporting pluripotency is Knockout™ DMEM (Gibco), which may be supplemented with Knockout™ Serum Replacement (Gibco), LIF, bFGF, or any other factor. Each of these exemplary media is known in the art and commercially available. In further embodiments, the medium supporting pluripotency may be supplemented with ROCK inhibitor, bFGF, or any other factor. In one embodiment, bFGF may be supplemented at a low concentration (e.g., 4ng / mL). In another embodiment, bFGF may be supplemented at a high concentration (e.g., 100ng / mL), which may prime PSCs for differentiation.

[0177] The concentration of PSCs to be used in the production method of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, when a 10 cm dish is used, 1 × 10 4 ~1×10 8 cells, preferably 5 x 10 per dish 4 ~5×10 6 cells, preferably 1 x 10 per dish 5 ~1×10 7 cells are used. In some embodiments, the PSCs are about 1,000-100,000 cells / cm. 2 In some embodiments, the PSCs are seeded at a cell density of about 5,000-100,000 cells / cm. 2 , about 5000~50,000 cells / cm 2 or approximately 5,000-15,000 cells / cm 2 In other embodiments, the PSCs are seeded at a cell density of about 10,000 cells / cm. 2 The seeds are sown at a density of

[0178] In some embodiments, the pluripotency-supporting medium, such as StemFit™ or other similar medium, is replaced by a differentiation medium to differentiate the cells into neural crest stem cells or corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the replacement of the medium from the pluripotency-supporting medium to the differentiation medium may be performed at different times during the cell culture of the PSCs, which may also depend on the initial seeding density of the PSCs. In some embodiments, the replacement of the medium may be performed after 2-14 days of culture of the PSCs in the pluripotency medium. In some embodiments, the replacement of the medium may be performed on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th or 14th day.

[0179] In some embodiments, stem cells useful in the methods described herein include, but are not limited to, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, bone marrow-derived stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, chondrocyte precursor cells, epidermal stem cells, gastrointestinal stem cells, neural stem cells, hepatic stem cells, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, pancreatic precursor cells, hair follicle stem cells, endothelial precursor cells, and smooth muscle precursor cells.

[0180] In some embodiments, the stem cells used for the methods described herein are isolated from umbilical cord, placenta, amniotic fluid, chorion villi, blastocysts, bone marrow, adipose tissue, brain, peripheral blood, gastrointestinal tract, umbilical cord blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, liver and menstrual blood.

[0181] Detailed procedures for isolating human stem cells from various sources are described in Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology (2007), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Methods for isolating and culturing stem cells from various sources are also described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,486,359, 6,991,897, 7,015,037, 7,422,736, 7,410,798, 7,410,773, and 7,399,632; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0182] B. Somatic cells In certain aspects of the invention, methods of transdifferentiation, i.e., the direct conversion of one somatic cell type to another, e.g., methods of deriving CECs, e.g., mature CECs, from other somatic cells, may also be provided. Transdifferentiation may include the use of CEC differentiation transcription factor genes or gene products (to increase the expression levels of such genes in somatic cells) for the generation of CECs, e.g., mature CECs.

[0183] However, human somatic cells may be in limited supply, especially from live donors. To provide an unlimited supply of starting cells for the differentiation of CECs, somatic cells may be immortalized by the introduction of immortalizing genes or proteins, such as hTERT and / or other oncogenes. Cell immortalization may be reversible (e.g., using a removable expression cassette) or inducible (e.g., using an inducible promoter).

[0184] Somatic cells, in certain aspects of the invention, may be primary cells (non-immortalized cells), e.g., freshly isolated from an animal, or derived from a cell line (immortalized cells). The cells may be maintained in cell culture after their isolation from the subject. In certain embodiments, the cells are passaged once, or more than once (e.g., 2-5 times, 5-10 times, 10-20 times, 20-50 times, 50-100 times, or more) prior to their use in the methods of the invention. In some embodiments, the cells will not be passaged more than 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, or 50 times prior to their use in the methods of the invention.

[0185] The somatic cells used or described herein may be native somatic cells or engineered somatic cells, i.e. genetically modified somatic cells. The somatic cells of the present invention are typically mammalian cells, such as human cells, primate cells or mouse cells. They may be obtained by well-known methods and may be obtained from any organ or tissue that contains living somatic cells, such as blood, bone marrow, skin, lung, pancreas, liver, stomach, intestine, heart, reproductive organs, bladder, kidney, urethra and other urinary organs.

[0186] Mammalian somatic cells useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, Sertoli cells, endothelial cells, granulosa epithelial cells, neurons, pancreatic islet cells, epidermal cells, epithelial cells, hepatocytes, hair follicle cells, keratinocytes, hematopoietic cells, melanocytes, chondrocytes, lymphocytes (B and T lymphocytes), erythrocytes, macrophages, monocytes, mononuclear cells, cardiac myocytes, and other muscle cells.

[0187] The method described herein may be used to program one or more somatic cells, such as colonies or populations of somatic cells, into CECs, such as mature CECs.In some embodiments, the population of cells of the present invention is substantially homogeneous in that at least 90% of cells present phenotype or characteristic of interest.In some embodiments, at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, 99.8%, 99.9, 99.95% or more of cells present phenotype or characteristic of interest.In some embodiments of the present invention, somatic cells have the ability to divide, i.e., somatic cells are not postmitotic.

[0188] Somatic cells may be partially or fully differentiated. As described herein, both partially and fully differentiated somatic cells are capable of differentiating to generate corneal endothelial cells.

[0189] Transcription Factors for Use in the Methods of the Invention CEC, for example, mature CEC, can be produced by increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cell.Can use any transcription factor that is important for promoting CEC maturation or function, for example, at least one transcription factor selected from the transcription factors described in Table 1.Can include all the isoforms and variants of the transcription factors listed in Table 1 in the present invention.Non-limiting examples of the accession numbers for specific isoforms or variants of the transcription factors of the present invention are described in Table 1. Table 1. Transcription factors for generating mature corneal endothelial cells

[0190] [Table 1-1] [Table 1-2]

[0191] In some embodiments, the at least one transcription factor is selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2.

[0192] In some embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, can be produced by increasing the expression of the combination of transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.For example, in some embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, can be produced by increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one (for example, 1, 2, 3, or 4) additional transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, can be produced by increasing the expression of FOXC1 and at least one (for example, 1, 2, 3, or 4) additional transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, CEC, for example, mature CEC, can be produced by increasing the expression of TFAP2B and at least one (for example, 1, 2, 3, or 4) additional transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, CECs, for example, mature CECs, can be generated by increasing the expression of LMX1B and at least one (e.g., 1, 2, 3, or 4) additional transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, CECs, for example, mature CECs, can be generated by increasing the expression of POU6F2 and at least one (e.g., 1, 2, 3, or 4) additional transcription factors described herein in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the combination of transcription factors is selected from the combinations of transcription factors described in Table 1A: Table 1A. Examples of transcription factor combinations.

[0193] [Table 1A]

[0194] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2(PITX2). As used herein, "PITX2" refers to the well-known gene and protein. The term PITX2 includes protein isoforms and alternatively spliced ​​or transcript variants. PITX2 is also known as Also known as pituitary homeobox 2, ARP1, Brx1, IDG2, IGDS, IGDS2, IHG2, IRID2, Otlx2, PTX2, RGS, RIEG, RIEG1, RS, paired-like homeodomain 2, and ASGD4 The protein encoded by the PITX2 gene is a transcription factor that regulates procollagen lysyl hydroxylase gene expression and is involved in the development of eyes, teeth and abdominal organs. The sequence of human PITX2 mRNA transcript can be found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reference sequence accession number NM_153427 (SEQ ID NO: 1). PITX2 isoforms include PITX2 isoform 2 (NM_001204397, SEQ ID NO: 2), PITX2 isoform 3 (NM_001204398, SEQ ID NO: 3), PITX2 isoform 4 (NM_001204399, SEQ ID NO: 4), PITX2 isoform 5 (NM_000325, SEQ ID NO: 5) and PITX2 isoform 6 (NM_153426, SEQ ID NO: 6).

[0195] Further examples of PITX2 mRNA sequences are readily available using publicly available databases, such as GenBank, UniProt, and OMIM.

[0196] Exemplary sequences of PITX2 include the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, or the amino acid sequence encoded therefrom. In some embodiments, PITX2 includes a nucleotide sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In some embodiments, PITX2 includes an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.

[0197] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention is directed to increasing the expression of PITX2 by at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of Pitx2 comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0198] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is Fork Head Box C1 (FOXC1). As used herein, "FOXC1" refers to well-known genes and proteins. The term FOXC1 includes protein isoforms, or alternatively spliced ​​or transcript variants. FOXC1 is also known as ARA, FKHL7, FREAC-3, FREAC3, IGDA, IHG1, IRID1, RIEG3, Forkhead Box C1, ASGD3. The protein encoded by the FOXC1 gene is a transcription factor that plays a role in regulating embryonic and eye development. The sequence of human FOXC1 mRNA transcript can be found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reference sequence accession number NM_001453 (SEQ ID NO: 7). Further examples of FOXC1 mRNA sequences are readily available using publicly available databases, such as GenBank, UniProt, and OMIM.

[0199] Exemplary sequences of FOXC1 include the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, or the amino acid sequence encoded therefrom. In some embodiments, FOXC1 includes a nucleotide sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7. In some embodiments, FOXC1 includes an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7.

[0200] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention is directed to increasing the expression of FOXC1 by at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold, compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0201] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is Transcription factor AP-2 beta (TFAP2B). As used herein, "TFAP2B" refers to well-known genes and proteins. TFAP2B is also known as AP-2B, AP2-B, transcription factor AP-2 beta, PDA2. The term TFAP2B includes alternatively spliced ​​or transcript variants (e.g., TFAP2B transcript variant X) and protein isoforms. The protein encoded by the TFAP2B gene (AP2-beta) is a transcription factor that is thought to stimulate cell proliferation and suppress the terminal differentiation of certain cell types during embryonic development. The sequence of human TFAP2B mRNA transcript can be found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reference sequence accession number NM_003221 (SEQ ID NO: 8). Further examples of TFAP2B mRNA sequences are readily available using publicly available databases, such as GenBank, UniProt, and OMIM.

[0202] Exemplary sequences of TFAP2B include the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8, or the amino acid sequence encoded therefrom. In some embodiments, TFAP2B includes a nucleotide sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, TFAP2B includes an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:8.

[0203] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention is directed to increasing the expression of TFAP2B by at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0204] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 beta (LMX1B). As used herein, "LMX1B" refers to a well-known gene and protein. The term LMX1B includes protein isoforms and alternatively spliced ​​or transcript variants. LMX1B is also known as LMX1.2, NPS1, LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 beta, and FSGS10. The protein encoded by the LMX1B gene is a transcription factor that plays an important role in dorsoventral patterning of vertebrate limbs. The sequence of human LMX1B mRNA transcript can be found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reference sequence accession number NM_001174146 (SEQ ID NO: 9). LMX1B isoforms include LMX1B isoform 2 (NM_002316, SEQ ID NO: 10) and LMX1B isoform 3 (NM_00117, SEQ ID NO: 11). Further examples of LMX1B mRNA sequences are readily available using publicly available databases such as GenBank, UniProt, and OMIM.

[0205] Exemplary sequences of LMX1B include the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:9-11, and the amino acid sequence encoded therefrom. In some embodiments, LMX1B includes a nucleotide sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:9-11. In some embodiments, LMX1B includes an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOs:9-11.

[0206] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention is directed to increasing the expression of LMX1B by at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0207] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is POU class 6 homeobox 2 (POU6F2). As used herein, " POU6F2 " refers to well-known genes and proteins. POU6F2 is Includes alternatively spliced ​​or transcript, variants and protein isoforms. POU6F2 The protein encoded by the gene is a transcription factor involved in developmental processes such as cell commitment and differentiation. POU6F2 The sequence of mRNA transcript can be found in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reference sequence accession number NM_007252 (SEQ ID NO: 12). Further isoforms of POU6F2 include POU6F2 isoform 2 (NM_001166018, SEQ ID NO: 13). Further examples of POU6F2 mRNA sequences are readily available using publicly available databases, such as GenBank, UniProt, and OMIM.

[0208] POU6F2 Exemplary sequences include the nucleotide sequence or the amino acid sequence encoded therefrom of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 12-13. POU6F2comprises a nucleotide sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 12-13. In some embodiments, POU6F2 comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 12-13.

[0209] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention is directed to increasing the expression of POU6F2 by at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold, compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0210] Increasing the expression of transcription factors The vector for delivery of the nucleic acid encoding the transcription factor(s) of the present invention may be constructed to express the transcription factor(s) in the cell of the present disclosure, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cell, neural crest stem cell or pluripotent stem cell, such as embryonic stem cell or induced pluripotent stem cell.In some embodiments, the nucleic acid is DNA.In some embodiments, the nucleic acid is RNA.In some embodiments, the nucleic acid is modified DNA.In some embodiments, the nucleic acid is modified RNA.

[0211] In addition, protein transduction compositions or methods may also be used to effect expression of the transcription factor(s) in the methods of the invention.

[0212] A. Nucleic acid delivery system Those skilled in the art will be well equipped to construct vectors through standard recombinant techniques (see, e.g., Sambrook et al. (2001) and Ausubel et al. (1996); each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Vectors comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, viral vectors, non-viral vectors and / or inducible expression vectors.

[0213] As used herein, "nucleic acid" refers to deoxyribonucleotide, ribonucleotide, or modified nucleotide, and their polymers in single-stranded or double-stranded form.The term encompasses synthetic, naturally occurring, and non-naturally occurring nucleic acids that contain known nucleotide analogs or modified backbone residues or linkages, which have similar binding properties as reference nucleic acids, and in certain cases, are metabolized in a similar manner as reference nucleotides.Examples of such analogs include, but are not limited to, phosphorothioates, phosphoramidates, methyl phosphonates, chiral-methyl phosphonates, 2-O-methyl ribonucleotides, and peptide-nucleic acids (PNAs).

[0214] As used herein, "nucleotide" is used to include those with natural bases (standard), as recognized in the art, and modified bases well known in the art. Such bases are generally located at the l' position of the nucleotide sugar moiety. Nucleotides generally include a base, a sugar and a phosphate group. Nucleotides may be unmodified or modified in the sugar, phosphate and / or base moieties (also referred to interchangeably as nucleotide analogs, modified nucleotides, non-natural nucleotides, non-standard nucleotides and others; see, for example, Usman and McSwiggen, supra; Eckstein et al., International PCT Publication No. WO92 / 07065; Usman et al., International PCT Publication No. WO93 / 15187; Uhlman & Peyman, supra; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein). There are several examples of modified nucleobases known in the art, as summarized in Limbach, et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 22:2183, 1994. Some non-limiting examples of base modifications that can be introduced into nucleic acid molecules include hypoxanthine, purine, pyridin-4-one, pyridin-2-one, phenyl, pseudouracil, 2,4,6-trimethoxybenzene, 3-methyluracil, dihydrouridine, naphthyl, aminophenyl, 5-alkylcytidine (e.g., 5-methylcytidine), 5-alkyluridine (e.g., ribothymidine), 5-halouridine (e.g., 5-bromouridine) or 6-azapyrimidine or 6-alkylpyrimidine (e.g., 6-methyluridine), propyne, and others (Burgin, et al., Biochemistry 35:14090, 1996; Uhlman & Peyman, supra). By "modified base" in this aspect is meant a nucleotide base other than adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil or their equivalents at the l' position.

[0215] Vectors may also contain other components or functions that further regulate gene delivery and / or gene expression or otherwise provide beneficial properties to the targeted cells, such as, for example, components that affect binding or targeting to cells (including components that mediate cell type or tissue specific binding); components that affect uptake of vector nucleic acid by cells; components that affect localization of the polynucleotide within the cell after uptake (such as agents that mediate nuclear import); and components that affect expression of the polynucleotide.

[0216] Such components may also include markers, such as detectable markers and selectable markers, that can be used to detect or select cells that have taken up and expressed the nucleic acid delivered by the vector. Such components may be provided as natural features of the vector (such as the use of certain viral vectors that have components or functions that mediate binding and uptake), or the vector may be modified to provide such functions. A wide variety of such vectors are known in the art and are generally available. When the vector is maintained in a host cell, the vector may be stably replicated by the cell during mitosis, integrated into the genome of the host cell as an autonomous structure, or maintained in the nucleus or cytoplasm of the host cell.

[0217] Those of skill in the art would be well equipped to construct vectors through standard recombinant techniques (see, e.g., Maniatis et al., 1988 and Ausubel et al., 1994; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0218] 1. Viral Vectors In some aspects of the present disclosure, a viral vector can be provided that encodes at least one transcription factor of the present invention.Viral vector is a type of expression construct that utilizes viral sequence to introduce nucleic acid, and optionally protein, into cells.Non-limiting examples of viral vectors that can be used to deliver the nucleic acid of some aspects of the present invention are described below.

[0219] In some embodiments, the viral vector is a non-integrating viral vector. Exemplary non-integrating viral vectors of the present disclosure are selected from the group consisting of: adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors, such as AAV1, AAV2, AAV3, AAV4, AAV5, AAV6, AAV7, AAV8, AAV9, AAV10, AAV3B, AAV-2i8, RhlO, Rh74, etc.; adenovirus (Ad) vectors, including replication competent, replication deficient, and gutless forms thereof, such as Ad7, Ad4, Ad2, Ad5, etc.; simian virus 40 (SV-40) vectors, bovine papilloma virus vectors, Epstein-Barr virus vectors, herpes virus vectors, vaccinia virus vectors, Harvey murine sarcoma virus vectors, mouse mammary tumor virus vectors, or Rous sarcoma virus vectors.

[0220] In some embodiments, the viral vector is an integrative viral vector, such as a retroviral vector. Retroviruses have potential as gene delivery vectors due to their ability to integrate their genes into the host genome, transfer large amounts of foreign genetic material, infect a wide range of species and cell types, and be packaged in specialized cell lines.

[0221] In some embodiments, the integrative viral vector is derived from or is a vector derived from a retroviral vector (e.g., Moloney murine leukemia virus vector (MoMLV), MSCV, SFFV, MPSV, SNV, etc.), a lentiviral vector (e.g., derived from HIV-1, HIV-2, SIV, BIV, FIV).

[0222] Recombinant vector can also infect non-dividing cells and can be used in the method of the present invention for in vivo and ex vivo gene transfer and expression of nucleic acid sequence.For example, recombinant lentivirus can infect non-dividing cells, where suitable host cell (i.e., the cell that produces virus, not the corneal endothelial precursor cell or CEC of the present disclosure) is transfected with two or more vectors carrying packaging function, i.e., gag, pol and env, and rev and tat, as disclosed in US Patent No. 5,994,136 (which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0223] 2. Episomal and other non-viral vectors The use of plasmid or liposome-based extrachromosomal (i.e., episomal) vectors may also be provided in certain aspects of the present invention. Such episomal vectors may include, for example, oriP-based vectors, and / or vectors encoding derivatives of EBNA-1. These vectors may allow large fragments of DNA to be introduced into cells, remain extrachromosomal, replicate once per cell cycle, divide efficiently into daughter cells, and do not substantially provoke an immune response.

[0224] Other extrachromosomal vectors include other lymphoproliferative herpesvirus-based vectors.Exemplary lymphoproliferative herpesviruses include, but are not limited to, EBV, Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV); Herpesvirus Saimiri (HS) and Marek's disease virus (MDV).Also contemplated are other sources of episome-based vectors, such as yeast ARS, adenovirus, SV40 or BPV.

[0225] In some embodiments, the vector is a non-viral vector.In some embodiments, the non-viral vector is selected from the group consisting of plasmid DNA, linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), linear single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), nanoplasmid, minicircle DNA, single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ssODN), DDNA oligonucleotide, single-stranded mRNA (ssRNA), and double-stranded mRNA (dsRNA).

[0226] In some embodiments, the non-viral vector comprises naked nucleic acid, liposomes, dendrimers, nanoparticles, lipid-polymer systems, solid lipid nanoparticles, and / or liposomal protamine / DNA lipoplexes (LPD).

[0227] In some embodiments, the non-viral vector comprises mRNA. In some embodiments, the mRNA may be delivered as naked modified mRNA, for example, in sucrose-citrate buffer or saline solution. In other embodiments, the non-viral vector comprises mRNA complexed with transfection reagents such as Lipofectamine 2000, jetPEI, RNAiMAX, and / or Invivofectamine. Amine-containing materials are also commonly used as non-viral vectors to protect mRNA against nuclease degradation and shield its negative charge. One of the most well-developed methods for mRNA delivery is co-formulation into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). LNP formulations typically comprise: (1) ionizable or cationic lipids or polymeric materials with tertiary or quaternary amines to encapsulate polyanionic mRNA; (2) zwitterionic lipids similar to lipids in cell membranes (e.g., 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine [DOPE]); (3) cholesterol to stabilize the lipid bilayer of the LNP; and (4) polyethylene glycol (PEG)-lipids to lend a hydration layer to the nanoparticles, improve colloidal stability, and reduce protein absorption. Exemplary non-viral vectors containing mRNA are described in Kowalksi et al., 2019, Mol Ther.; 27(4): 710-728; which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0228] 3. Transposon-based systems In a particular embodiment, the introduction of the nucleic acid may use a transposon-transposase system. The transposon-transposase system used may be the well-known Sleeping Beauty, Frog Prince transposon-transposase system (for a description of the latter, see, for example, EP1507865), or the TTAA-specific transposon piggyBac system.

[0229] Transposons are sequences of DNA that can move around to different locations within the genome of a single cell, a process called transposition. In the process, they can cause mutations and change the amount of DNA in the genome. There are a variety of mobile genetic elements, which can be grouped based on their mechanism of transposition. Class I mobile genetic elements, or retrotransposons, copy themselves by first being transcribed into RNA, then reverse transcribed into DNA by reverse transcriptase, and then inserted into another location in the genome. Class II mobile genetic elements move directly from one location to another, using transposase to "cut and paste" them within the genome.

[0230] 4. Homologous Recombination Homologous recombination (HR) is a targeted genome modification technique that has been a standard method for genome engineering in mammalian cells since the 1980s. The use of meganucleases, or homing endonucleases, such as I-SceI, has been used to increase the efficiency of HR. Both natural meganucleases as well as engineered meganucleases with modified targeting specificity have been utilized to increase the efficiency of HR. Another route toward increasing the efficiency of HR has been to engineer chimeric endonucleases with programmable DNA specificity domains. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are an example of such chimeric molecules, in which a zinc finger DNA binding domain is fused to the catalytic domain of a type IIS restriction endonuclease, such as FokI. Another class of such specificity molecules includes a Transcription Activator Like Effector (TALE) DNA binding domain fused to the catalytic domain of a type IIS restriction endonuclease, such as FokI. Another class of such molecules that facilitate targeted genome modification includes the CRISPR / Cas system, as described, for example, in Ran et al., 2013; Nature Protocols 8:2281-2308; which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0231] B. Regulatory Elements The eukaryotic expression cassette contained in the vector preferably includes (in the 5' to 3' direction) a eukaryotic transcription promoter operably linked to the protein coding sequence, splicing signals with intervening sequences, and transcription termination / polyadenylation sequences.

[0232] 1. Promoter / Enhancer A "promoter" is a control sequence, which is a region of a nucleic acid sequence where the initiation and rate of transcription are controlled. It may include genetic elements to which regulatory proteins and molecules, such as RNA polymerase and other transcription factors, bind to initiate specific transcription of a nucleic acid sequence. The phrases "operably located," "operably linked," "operably linked," "under control," and "under transcriptional control" mean that the promoter is in the correct functional location and / or orientation with respect to a nucleic acid sequence to control transcription initiation and / or expression of that sequence.

[0233] Promoters generally contain sequences that function to position the start site for RNA synthesis. Additional promoter elements regulate the frequency of transcription initiation. Typically, they are located in the region 30-110 bp upstream of the start site, but many promoters have been shown to contain functional elements downstream of the start site as well. To place a coding sequence "under the control of" a promoter, the 5' end of the transcription start site of the transcriptional reading frame is positioned "downstream" (i.e., 3') of the selected promoter. The "upstream" promoter stimulates transcription of the DNA and promotes expression of the encoded RNA.

[0234] Spacing between promoter elements is often flexible so that promoter function is preserved when elements are inverted or moved relative to one another. In the tk promoter, spacing between promoter elements can be increased to 50 bp apart before activity begins to decline. Depending on the promoter, it is believed that individual elements can function synergistically or independently to activate transcription. Promoters may or may not be used in combination with "enhancers." Enhancers refer to cis-acting regulatory sequences involved in the transcriptional activation of nucleic acid sequences.

[0235] In addition to synthetically producing promoter and enhancer nucleic acid sequences, sequences may be produced using recombinant cloning and / or nucleic acid amplification techniques, including PCR™, in combination with the compositions disclosed herein (see U.S. Patent Nos. 4,683,202 and 5,928,906; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).Furthermore, it is contemplated that the control sequences that direct the transcription and / or expression of sequences in non-nuclear organelles, such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, and the like, can be used as well.

[0236] The promoters used may be constitutive, tissue-specific, inducible, and / or useful under appropriate conditions to direct high levels of expression of the introduced DNA segment (such as those useful for large-scale production of recombinant proteins and / or peptides). The promoters may be artificial or endogenous.

[0237] In some embodiments, the promoter is an inducible promoter. The term "inducible promoter" is known in the art and refers to a promoter that is only active in response to a stimulus. An inducible promoter selectively expresses a nucleic acid molecule in response to an endogenous or exogenous stimulus, such as the presence of a chemical compound (chemical inducer), or in response to an environmental, hormonal, chemical, and / or developmental signal. Inducible promoters include, for example, promoters that are induced or regulated by light, heat, stress (e.g., salt stress or osmotic stress), plant hormones, wounding, or chemicals such as ethanol, abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonate, salicylic acid, or safener. In some embodiments, the inducible promoter is an EF1a promoter. In some embodiments, the inducible promoter is a PGK promoter.

[0238] In some embodiments, the heterologous nucleic acid is under the control of a promoter sequence selected from the group consisting of: cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early promoter, RSV LTR, MoMLV LTR, phosphoglycerate kinase-1 (PGK) promoter, simian virus 40 (SV40) promoter, CK6 promoter, transthyretin promoter (TTR), TK promoter, tetracycline responsive promoter (TRE), HBV promoter, hAAT promoter, LSP promoter, chimeric liver specific promoter (LSP), E2F promoter, telomerase (hTERT) promoter; cytomegalovirus enhancer / chicken beta-actin / rabbit beta-globin promoter (CAG) promoter, elongation factor 1-alpha promoter (EF1-alpha) promoter, human beta glucuronidase promoter, chicken beta actin (CBA) promoter, retroviral Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR promoter, dihydrofolate reductase promoter, and b-actin promoter. In some embodiments, the heterologous nucleic acid is operably linked to a promoter suitable for expression of a therapeutic polypeptide or therapeutic nucleic acid in one or more cells of the CNS.

[0239] In another embodiment, the native promoter for transcription factor, or its fragment, will be used.Native promoter can be used when it is desired that the expression of transcription factor should mimic native expression.Native promoter can be used when the expression of transcription factor should be regulated temporally or developmentally, or in a tissue-specific manner, or in response to specific transcriptional stimuli.In further embodiments, other native expression control elements, such as enhancer elements, polyadenylation sites, or Kozak consensus sequences, can also be used to mimic native expression.

[0240] Inducible promoters allow the regulation of gene expression and can be regulated by the presence of exogenously supplied compounds, environmental factors such as temperature, or specific physiological conditions such as acute phase, specific differentiation states of cells, or only in replicating cells. Inducible promoters and induction systems are available from a variety of commercial sources, including, but not limited to, Invitrogen, Clontech, and Ariad. Many other systems have been described and can be readily selected by one of skill in the art. Examples of inducible promoters regulated by an exogenously supplied promoter include the zinc-inducible sheep metallothionein (MT) promoter, the dexamethasone (Dex)-inducible mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter, the T7 polymerase promoter system (WO 98 / 10088); the ecdysone insect promoter (No et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93:3346-3351 (1996)), a tetracycline-repressible system (Gossen et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:5547-5551 (1992)), a tetracycline-inducible system (Gossen et al., Science, 268:1766-1769 (1995); see also Harvey et al., Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 2:512-518 (1998)), a RU486-inducible system (Wang et al., Nat. Biotech., 15:239-243 (1997) and Wang et al., Gene Ther., 4:432-441 (1997)), and a rapamycin-inducible system (Magari et al., J. Clin. Invest., 100:2865-2872 (1997)). Still other types of inducible promoters that are useful in this context are those that are regulated by specific physiological conditions, such as temperature, acute phase, a specific differentiation state of the cell, or only in replicating cells.

[0241] In some embodiments, the heterologous nucleic acid is under the control of a promoter sequence that is expressed in one or more cells of the CEC cell lineage. The CEC-specific promoter may include a promoter for any of the following genes: ATP6V1G1 (ATPaseH +Transport V1 subunit G1, C4orf49 (MGARP) (mitochondrially localized glutamic acid-rich protein), CA12 (carbonic anhydrase 12), COL4A3 (type IV collagen alpha 3 chain), COL8A1 (type VIII collagen alpha 1 chain), COL8A2 (type VIII collagen alpha 2 protein), DNAC6 (DNAJ heat shock protein family (HSP40) member C6), ENO1 (enolase 1), ENO1P1 (enolase 1 pseudogene 1), ENST00000354541, ENST00000357401, ERG (ETS transcription factor), FGF10 (fibroblast growth factor 10), FGF7 (fibroblast growth factor 7), IGFBP2 (insulin-dependent endothelial cell proliferation factor), threonine-like growth factor binding protein 2), ITGBL1 (integrin subunit beta-like 1), LMX1B (LIM homeobox transcription factor 1 beta), MIR184 (MicroRNA184), MSMP (prostate-associated microseminoprotein), PITX2 (paired-like homeodomain 2), POU6F2 (POU class 6 homeobox 2), PTGDS (prostaglandin D2 synthase), SHC4 (SHC adaptor protein 4), SLC4A11 (solute carrier family 4 member 11), SLC4A4 (solute carrier family 4 member 4) and TFAP2B (transcription factor AP-2 beta) and ZFHX4 (zinc finger homeobox 4) (Yoshihara et al. 2017, EBio Medicine, 25(2017), p.175-186). In some embodiments, the promoter sequence may be ubiquitously expressed in vivo and therefore, by virtue of its delivery to the cell, may be expressed in cells, such as pluripotent stem cells, neural crest stem cells, corneal endothelial progenitor cells or CECs, such as mature CECs. In other embodiments, a promoter sequence may be used that is specifically expressed in cells of the CEC cell lineage, such as neural crest stem cells, corneal endothelial progenitor cells or CECs, such as mature CECs.

[0242] In addition, any promoter / enhancer combination (e.g., through the world wide web at epd.isb-sib.ch / , a database of eukaryotic promoters, EPDB) can also be used to drive expression. Non-limiting examples of promoters include: constitutive EF1 alpha promoter; early or late viral promoters, such as SV40 early or late promoters, cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early promoter, Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) early promoter; eukaryotic promoters, such as beta actin promoter, GADPH promoter, metallothionein promoter, and the like; and chained response element promoters, such as cyclic AMP response element promoter (cre), serum response element promoter (sre), phorbol ester promoter (TPA), and minimal TATA box near response element promoter (tre).

[0243] 2. Initiation signals and internal ribosome binding sites Specific initiation signals can also be used for efficient translation of coding sequences. These signals include the ATG initiation codon or adjacent sequences. Exogenous translational control signals, including the ATG initiation codon, may need to be provided. One skilled in the art will be able to easily determine this and provide the necessary signals. It is well known that to ensure translation of the entire insert, the initiation codon must be "in-frame" with the reading frame of the desired coding sequence. Exogenous translational control signals and initiation codons can be natural or synthetic. The efficiency of expression can be enhanced by the inclusion of appropriate transcriptional enhancer elements.

[0244] In some embodiments of the present invention, the use of internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) elements is used to generate multigene or polycistronic messages. IRES elements can bypass the ribosome scanning model of 5' methylated Cap-dependent translation and initiate translation at an internal site. IRES elements can be linked to heterologous open reading frames. Multiple open reading frames, each separated by an IRES, can be transcribed together to generate polycistronic messages. Thanks to the IRES element, each open reading frame is accessible to ribosomes for efficient translation. Multiple genes can be efficiently expressed using a single promoter / enhancer to transcribe a single message (see U.S. Patent Nos. 5,925,565 and 5,935,819; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0245] In some embodiments, self-cleaving sequence can be used to co-express genes.The term "self-cleaving sequence" as used herein refers to a sequence that links open reading frames to form a single cistron and induces ribosome skipping during translation.Ribosome skipping causes the two coding sequences connected by the self-cleaving sequence to be transcribed into two separate peptides.For example, 2A self-cleaving sequence can be used to generate linked expression or co-expression of genes in the construct provided in the present disclosure.Exemplary self-cleaving sequences include, but are not limited to, T2A, P2A, E2A and F2A as described in Table 2.

[0246] Table 2. Exemplary 2A sequences [Table 2]

[0247] In some embodiments, T2A comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 182, or a nucleic acid encoding such an amino acid sequence. In some embodiments, P2A comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 183, or a nucleic acid encoding such an amino acid sequence.

[0248] In some embodiments, E2A comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 184, or a nucleic acid encoding such an amino acid sequence. In some embodiments, F2A comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 185, or a nucleic acid encoding such an amino acid sequence.

[0249] 3. Origin of replication To propagate a vector in a host cell, it may contain one or more origin of replication sites (often referred to as "ori"), which are specific nucleic acid sequences at which replication is initiated, such as a nucleic acid sequence corresponding to the oriP of EBV as described above, or an engineered oriP with a similar or higher function in programming. Alternatively, origins of replication or autonomously replicating sequences (ARS) of other extrachromosomally replicating viruses as described above can be used.

[0250] 4. Selectable and Screenable Markers In some embodiments of the present invention, cells containing the nucleic acid constructs of the present invention can be identified in vitro or in vivo by including a marker in the expression vector. Such a marker confers an identifiable change to the cell that allows easy identification of cells containing the expression vector. Generally, a selection marker is one that confers a property that allows for selection. A positive selection marker is one whose presence allows for its selection, while a negative selection marker is one whose presence prevents its selection. An example of a positive selection marker is a drug resistance marker.

[0251] Typically, the inclusion of a drug selection marker aids in the cloning and identification of transformants; for example, genes that confer resistance to neomycin, puromycin, hygromycin, DHFR, GPT, zeocin, and histidinol are useful selection markers. In addition to markers that confer a phenotype that allows for the identification of transformants based on the implementation of a condition, other types of markers are also contemplated, including screenable markers such as GFP that are based on colorimetry.

[0252] Alternatively, a screenable enzyme as a negative selection marker may be utilized. In some embodiments, the negative selection marker comprises one or more suicide genes, which upon administration of a prodrug results in the transfer of the gene product to a compound that kills the host cell. Exemplary suicide genes of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, inducible caspase 9 (or caspase 3 or 7), CD20, CD52, EGFR, thymidine kinase, cytosine deaminase, HER1, and any combination thereof. Additional suicide genes known in the art that may be used in the present disclosure include purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), cytochrome p450 enzymes (CYP), carboxypeptidase (CP), carboxylesterase (CE), nitroreductase (NTR), guanine ribosyltransferase (XGRTP), glycosidase enzymes, and thymidine phosphorylase (TP).

[0253] Those skilled in the art will also know how to use immunological markers, possibly in combination with FACS analysis. The marker used is not considered important, as long as it can be expressed simultaneously with the nucleic acid encoding the gene product. Further examples of selectable and screenable markers are well known to those skilled in the art. One feature of the present invention includes using selectable and screenable markers to select for corneal endothelial cells after transcription factors have caused the desired changes in these cells.

[0254] In some embodiments of the present invention, cells containing the nucleic acid constructs of the present invention may be identified in vitro or in vivo by including a marker in the expression vector. Such a marker would confer an identifiable change to the cells, allowing easy identification of cells containing the expression vector. In general, a selection marker is one that confers a property that allows for selection. A positive selection marker is one whose presence allows for its selection, while a negative selection marker is one whose presence prevents its selection. One example of a positive selection marker is a drug resistance marker.

[0255] Typically, the inclusion of a drug selection marker aids in the cloning and identification of transformants, for example, genes that confer resistance to neomycin, puromycin, hygromycin, DHFR, GPT, zeocin, and histidinol are useful selection markers. In addition to markers that confer a phenotype that allows for the identification of transformants based on the implementation of a condition, other types of markers are also contemplated, including screenable markers such as GFP that are based on colorimetry.

[0256] C. Nucleic acid delivery In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises contacting cells, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells, with at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, cells, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells, comprise an expression vector that comprises the nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor.

[0257] Introduction of a nucleic acid, such as DNA, RNA, modified DNA or modified RNA, into a cell of the present invention, for example a corneal endothelial progenitor cell or a pluripotent stem cell, may use any suitable method for nucleic acid delivery for transduction of a cell, as described herein or as would be known to one of skill in the art. Such methods include, but are not limited to, direct delivery of DNA, e.g., by ex vivo transfection (Wilson et al., 1989; Nabel et al., 1989; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), by injection (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,994,624, 5,981,274, 5,945,100, 5,780,448, 5,736,524, 5,702,932, 5,656,610, 5,589,466, and 5,580,859; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), including microinjection (Harland and Weintraub, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,215; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by electroporation (U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,253; Tur-Kaspa et al., 1986; Potter et al., 1984; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by calcium phosphate precipitation (Graham and Van Der Eb, 1973; Chen and Okayama, 1987; Rippe et al., 1990; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by using DEAE-dextran followed by polyethylene glycol; by direct sonic loading (Fechheimer et al., 1987; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by liposome-mediated transfection (Nicolau and Sene, 1982; Fraley et al., 1979; Nicolau et al., 1987; Wong et al., 1980; Kaneda et al., 1989; Kato et al., 1991; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), and receptor-mediated transfection (Wu and Wu, 1987; Wu and Wu, 1988; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by particle bombardment (PCT Application No. WO 94 / 09699 and 95 / 06128; U.S. Patent Nos. 5,610,042; 5,322,783; 5,563,055; 5,550,318; 5,538,877; and 5,538,880; each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein; by agitation with silicon carbide fibers (Kaeppler et al. (1990); U.S. Patent Nos. 5,302,523 and 5,464,765; each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety); which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties); by Agrobacterium-mediated transduction (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,591,616 and 5,563,055; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); by desiccation / inhibition mediated DNA uptake (Potrykus et al., 1985; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), as well as any combination of such methods. Through the application of techniques such as these, organelle(s), cell(s), tissue(s) or organism(s) may be stably or transiently transduced.

[0258] In certain embodiments of the invention, the nucleic acid may be encapsulated in lipid complexes, such as liposomes. Liposomes are vesicular structures characterized by a phospholipid bilayer membrane and an internal aqueous medium. Multilamellar liposomes have multiple lipid layers separated by aqueous medium. They form spontaneously when phospholipids are suspended in an excess of aqueous solution. The lipid components undergo self-rearrangement prior to the formation of a closed structure, encapsulating water and dissolved solutes between the lipid bilayers. Also contemplated are LIPOFECTAMINE (registered trademark) (Gibco BRL) or Superfect® (Qiagen). The amount of liposome used may vary depending on the nature of the liposome used as well as the cells, for example, about 5 to about 20 μg of vector DNA per 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 cells may be contemplated.

[0259] In certain embodiments of the invention, nucleic acids are introduced into organelles, cells, tissues or organisms via electroporation. Electroporation involves exposure of a suspension of cells and DNA to a high voltage discharge. Recipient cells can be made more susceptible to transformation by mechanical wounding. The amount of vector used may also vary depending on the nature of the cells used; for example, about 5 to about 20 μg of vector DNA per 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 cells may be contemplated.

[0260] In another embodiment of the invention, the nucleic acid is introduced into the cell using calcium phosphate precipitation. In another embodiment, the nucleic acid is delivered to the cell using DEAE-dextran followed by polyethylene glycol. A further aspect of the invention involves the introduction of nucleic acids by direct ultrasonic loading.

[0261] Microprojectile technology can also be used to introduce nucleic acid into at least one organelle, cell, tissue or organism (U.S. Patent No. 5,550,318; U.S. Patent No. 5,538,880; U.S. Patent No. 5,610,042; and PCT Application WO94 / 09699; each of which is incorporated herein by reference). This method relies on the ability to accelerate DNA-coated microprojectiles to high speeds, allowing them to penetrate cell membranes and enter cells without killing them (Klein et al., 1987; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). There are a wide variety of microprojectile technologies known in the art that are suitable for use in the method of the present invention.

[0262] D. Genetic Switch In some embodiments, the cells of the present disclosure, for example, pluripotent stem cells or corneal endothelial progenitor cells, are engineered to contain gene switch constructs encoding the transcription factor(s) of the present invention. Gene switch constructs provide the basic building blocks for the construction of complex genetic circuits that transform cells into useful cell-based machines for biomedical applications. Ligand-responsive gene switch constructs are cellular sensors that can process specific signals and generate gene product responses. Their involvement in complex genetic circuits leads to sophisticated circuit topologies that are reminiscent of electronic engineering and can store events, increase or decrease protein production, and provide engineered cells that can perform complex information processing tasks (see Auslaender et al., 2016; Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol.; 8(7): a023895; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Based on the design strategy of the gene switch construct, cells of the present disclosure, such as pluripotent stem cells or corneal endothelial progenitor cells, can be engineered to contain gene switch constructs encoding transcription factors of the present disclosure along with diverse synthetic systems for sensing various ligand inputs, which in turn mediate expression of the gene switch constructs encoding transcription factors of the present disclosure.

[0263] 1. Transcriptional gene switches In some embodiments, the gene switch construct is a transcriptional gene switch construct. In some embodiments, the transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a prokaryotic or eukaryotic regulator protein fused to a transcriptional regulator protein, which binds to a DNA operator sequence to control expression of the gene switch construct in a ligand-responsive manner. In some embodiments, the transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a prokaryotic regulator protein combined with a ligand or light-induced dimerization system (DS) to allow for signal-dependent recruitment of the transcriptional regulator protein. In some embodiments, the transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a cell surface-localized G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that senses an extracellular signal and triggers signal transduction through a signal transduction pathway to control expression of the gene switch construct. In some embodiments, the transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of an engineered diguanylate cyclase (DGCL) that synthesizes the second messenger cyclic-di-GMP in a red light-responsive manner, triggering downstream signal transduction pathways and resulting in transcriptional activation of the gene switch construct. In some embodiments, the transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of any of the synthetic systems described in Auslaender et al. (2016); which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

[0264] 2. Post-transcriptional gene switches In some embodiments, the gene switch construct is a post-transcriptional gene switch construct. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of an aptazyme fused to a primary microRNA (pri-miRNA) molecule, which allows for the control of ligand-responsive pri-miRNA processing and post-transcriptional target gene control. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a protein-responsive aptazyme incorporated into a messenger RNA (mRNA) to regulate their stability depending on the presence or absence of a protein ligand. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a protein that binds to a protein-binding aptamer incorporated into a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to inhibit shRNA processing and allow protein-controlled expression of the gene switch construct. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a protein-binding aptamer incorporated into the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of an mRNA to control translation initiation in a protein-dependent manner. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of a protein-binding aptamer in close proximity to a splice site to allow for protein-responsive alternative splicing regulation. In some embodiments, the post-transcriptional gene switch construct comprises the use of an aptamer that binds to ATetR in combination with a theophylline-responsive aptamer to allow theophylline-dependent folding of the aptamer that binds to TetR. When bound to its cognate aptamer, the TetR protein loses its DNA operator binding ability and affects gene expression at the transcriptional level.

[0265] Integrases can also act as functional gene switch controllers, activating coding sequences or promoter switches designed to be turned on in eukaryotic cells. Integrases are accurate in their site recognition and recombination process and are not cytotoxic. In some embodiments, gene switch constructs include the use of serine integrase-controlled gene switches as described in Gomide et al., 2020, Commun Biol.;3(1):255; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0266] E. Protein Transduction In some embodiments, the cells of the present disclosure, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells, may be contacted with transcription factor(s) comprising polypeptide in sufficient amount to generate mature corneal endothelial cells. Protein transduction has been used as a method to enhance the delivery of macromolecules to cells. Protein transduction domains may be used to directly introduce transcription factor polypeptides or functional fragments thereof into cells.

[0267] A "protein transduction domain" or "PTD" is an amino acid sequence that can cross biological membranes, particularly cell membranes. When attached to a heterologous polypeptide, the PTD can enhance translocation of the heterologous polypeptide across a biological membrane. The PTD is typically covalently attached (e.g., by a peptide bond) to the heterologous DNA binding domain. For example, the PTD and the heterologous DNA binding domain can be encoded by a single nucleic acid, e.g., in a common open reading frame or in one or more exons of a common gene. Exemplary PTDs can include 10-30 amino acids and may form an amphipathic helix. Many PTDs are basic in character. For example, a basic PTD can include at least 4, 5, 6, or 8 basic residues (e.g., arginine or lysine). A PTD may be capable of enhancing translocation of a polypeptide into cells that lack a cell wall or into cells from a particular species, e.g., mammalian cells, such as human, monkey, mouse, bovine, equine, feline, or ovine cells.

[0268] The PTD can be linked to the artificial transcription factor, for example, using a flexible linker. The flexible linker can include one or more glycine residues to allow free rotation. For example, the PTD can be spaced at least 10, 20, or 50 amino acids from the DNA-binding domain of the transcription factor. The PTD can be located N-terminal or C-terminal to the DNA-binding domain. Being located N-terminal or C-terminal to a particular domain does not require being adjacent to that particular domain. For example, a PTD N-terminal to the DNA-binding domain can be separated from the DNA-binding domain by a spacer and / or other type of domain. The PTD can be chemically synthesized and then chemically coupled to a separately prepared DNA-binding domain with or without a linker peptide. The artificial transcription factor can also include multiple PTDs, for example, multiple different PTDs or at least two copies of one PTD.

[0269] Some proteins and small peptides have the ability to transduce or move through biological membranes independent of classical receptor or endocytosis-mediated pathways. Examples of these proteins include the HIV-1 TAT protein, the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) DNA-binding protein VP22, and the Drosophila Antennapedia (Antp) homeotic transcription factor. Small protein transduction domains (PTDs) from these proteins can be fused with other macromolecules, peptides, or proteins to successfully transport them into cells. Sequence alignments of the transduction domains from these proteins show high basic amino acid content (Lys and Arg), which may facilitate the interaction of these regions with negatively charged lipids in membranes. Secondary structure analysis shows no congruent structure between all three domains.

[0270] The advantage of using these transduction domain fusions is that protein entry is rapid and concentration dependent and is believed to work across a variety of cell types. PTDs are further described in US2003 / 0082561; US2002 / 0102265; US2003 / 0040038; each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0271] In addition to PTDs, cell uptake signals can be used. Such signals include amino acid sequences that are specifically recognized by cell receptors or other surface proteins. Interaction of the cell with the cell uptake signal causes internalization of the artificial transcription factor that includes the cell uptake signal. Some PTDs may also function by interacting with cell receptors or other surface proteins.

[0272] cell culture Generally, the cells of the invention are cultured in a culture medium, which is a nutrient-rich, buffered solution capable of sustaining cell growth. The CEC of the present invention can be made by culturing pluripotent stem cells or other cells, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, in a medium under conditions in which the intracellular levels of the transcription factors described herein are sufficient to promote the generation of CECs, such as mature CECs. The medium may also contain one or more CEC differentiation agents, such as various types of growth factors. These agents may help induce cells to commit to a more mature phenotype, or may preferentially promote the survival of mature cells, or may have a combination of both of these effects.

[0273] The differentiation agents for CECs described in this disclosure may include: soluble growth factors (peptide hormones, cytokines, ligand-receptor complexes, and other compounds such as chondroitin sulfate A, pituitary extracts, and ascorbic acid) that can promote the proliferation of cells of the CEC lineage. Non-limiting examples of such agents include, but are not limited to, noggin, SB431542, basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), Rock inhibitors, and nerve growth factor (NGF). Additional factors may include: leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), GSK3 inhibitors, retinoic acid, gamma secretase inhibitors, dorsomorphin, BMP inhibitors of TGFb / Activin / Nodal including chordin and follistatin, IL-1, insulin, TGF-α, TGF-β, heparin, insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I, IGF-2), platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB) and PDGFB agonists, DKK2 and DKK2 agonists, angiopoietin-like protein 7 (ANGPL7), B27 supplement and glucagon.

[0274] Multipotent cells or other cells, such as corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, may be differentiated in the presence of noggin (e.g., a human noggin polypeptide, such as NP_005441.1 or a mature polypeptide contained therein) and / or SB431542 or a derivative (collectively, "dual SMAD inhibitors"). Multipotent cells or other cells, such as corneal progenitor cells or neural crest cells, may be differentiated in the presence of the naturally secreted BMP inhibitors chordin and follistatin, and analogs or mimetics thereof, dominant negative receptors or blocking antibodies that will sequester BMP2, BMP4 and / or BMP7, and / or dorsomorphin (or Compound C). Inhibition of SMAD proteins may also be effected using soluble inhibitors such as SIS3 (6,7-dimethoxy-2-((2E)-3-(1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-3-yl-prop-2-enoyl))-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, Smad3, specific inhibitors of SIS3, overexpression of one or more of the inhibitor SMADs (e.g., SMAD6, SMAD7, SMAD10), or RNAi against one of the receptor SMADs (SMAD1, SMAD2, SMAD3, SMAD5, SMAD8 / 9). Other agents for differentiation of pluripotent cells or other cells, such as corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, include leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), GSK3 inhibitors (CHIR 99021), Compound E (g-secretase inhibitor XXI) and / or the TGFb inhibitor SB431542 (Li et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011 May 17;108(20):8299-304).

[0275] Corneal progenitor cells or pluripotent stem cells undergoing neural crest induction may be cultured in the presence of SB431542, which may be present in the culture medium at concentrations of as little as 10 nM, 20 nM, 50 nM, 0.1 mM, or less, or at concentrations of 20 mM, 50 mM, 100 mM, or more, for example, 10 nM to 100 mM, 0.1 mM to 50 mM, 0.1 to 20 mM, or 1 to 20 mM, or even about 10 mM.

[0276] Pluripotent cells, such as corneal progenitor cells or pluripotent cells undergoing neural crest induction, may be cultured in the presence of noggin, which may be present in the culture medium at concentrations as low as 10ng / ml, 20ng / ml, 50ng / ml, 100ng / ml, or lower, or at concentrations as high as 700ng / ml, 1000ng / ml, 1500ng / ml, 2000ng / ml, 3000ng / ml, 4000ng / ml, 5000ng / ml, or higher, such as 10ng / ml to 5,000ng / ml, 100ng / ml to 700ng / ml, or 400ng / ml to 600ng / ml, preferably about 500ng / ml. Pluripotent cells may be cultured with a combination of SB431542 and noggin, such as a combination of the aforementioned concentrations.

[0277] Basic FGF may be present in cultures of pluripotent cells, for example during induction of corneal progenitor cells or neural crest, which may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 1 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 4 ng / ml, 5 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml or less, or up to 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 500 ng / ml, or 1 mg / ml, for example 1 ng / ml to 1 mg / ml, 1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml to 10 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, or about 6 ng / ml.

[0278] Basic FGF may be present in cultures of corneal progenitor cells, neural crest stem cells or CECs, or in cultures containing CECs, for example during differentiation of CECs from corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, and may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 0.1 ng / ml, 0.2 ng / ml, 0.5 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 4 ng / ml, 5 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml or lower, or up to 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 500 ng / ml, or 1 mg / ml, for example 0.1 ng / ml to 1 mg / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 400 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 10 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, or about 6 ng / ml.

[0279] EGF may be present in cultures of corneal progenitor cells, neural crest stem cells or CECs, for example during differentiation of CECs from corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, or in cultures containing CECs, and may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 0.1 ng / ml, 0.2 ng / ml, 0.5 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 4 ng / ml, 5 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml or lower, or up to 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 500 ng / ml, or 1 mg / ml, for example 0.1 ng / ml to 1 mg / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 400 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 10 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, or about 5 ng / ml.

[0280] NGF may be present in cultures of corneal progenitor cells, neural crest stem cells or CECs, for example during differentiation of CECs from corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, or in cultures containing CECs, and may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 0.1 ng / ml, 0.2 ng / ml, 0.5 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 4 ng / ml, 5 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml or lower, or up to 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 500 ng / ml, or 1 mg / ml, for example 0.1 ng / ml to 1 mg / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 400 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, 0.1 ng / ml to 10 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, or about 20 ng / ml.

[0281] ROCK inhibitors may be present in the culture of pluripotent stem cells or during differentiation of CECs. "ROCK inhibitor" refers to any substance, such as small molecules, siRNA, miRNA, antisense RNA, or similar, that inhibits or reduces the function of Rho-associated kinase or its signaling pathway in cells. "ROCK signaling pathway" as used herein may include any signal processor involved in a signaling pathway related to ROCK, such as the Rho-ROCK-myosin II signaling pathway in cells, its upstream signaling pathway, or its downstream signaling pathway. An exemplary ROCK inhibitor that may be used is Stemgent's Stemolecule Y-27632, a rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor (see Watanabe et al., Nat Biotechnol. 2007 June; 25(6):681-6). Other ROCK inhibitors include, for example, H-1152, Y-30141, Wf-536, HA-1077, hydroxyl-HA-1077, GSK269962A and SB-772077-B.Doe et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 32:89-98, 2007;Ishizaki, et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 57:976-983, 2000;Nakajima et al., Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol., 52:319-324, 2003;and Sasaki et al., Pharmacol. Ther., 93:225-232, 2002;each of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety. ROCK inhibitors may be utilized at concentrations and / or culture conditions as known in the art, for example, as described in US PGPub No. 2012 / 0276063, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Further examples of Rho-associated kinase inhibitors include compounds disclosed in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,783, U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,217, WO99 / 20620, WO99 / 61403, WO02076976, WO02 / 076977, WO02 / 100833, WO03 / 059913, WO03 / 062227, WO2004 / 009555, WO2004 / 022541, WO2004 / 108724, WO2005 / 003101, WO2005 / 039564, WO2005 / 034866, WO2005 / 037197, WO2005 / 037198, WO2005 / 035501, WO2005 / 035503, WO2005 / 035506, WO2005 / 080394, WO2005 / 103050, WO2006 / 057270, WO2007 / 026664 and the like. Such compounds can be produced according to the methods described in each of the respective references. Specific examples include 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)homopiperazine (fasudil), (+)-trans-4-(1-aminoethyl)-1-(4-pyridylcarbamoyl)cyclohexane (Y-27632) and the like, as well as their salts, preferably pharma- ceutically acceptable salts such as hydrochloride salts. In exemplary embodiments, the ROCK inhibitor may have a concentration of about 0.05 to about 50 microM, e.g., at least or about 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 microM (including any range inducible therein, or any concentration effective to promote cell proliferation or survival).

[0282] Corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells may be cultured in the presence of PDGFB (e.g., a human PDGFB polypeptide such as NP_002599.1, or a mature polypeptide contained therein), and a culture medium containing PDGFB, and / or PDGFAA or PDGFAB, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). A culture comprising corneal endothelial progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, for example in a culture comprising pluripotent cells after initiation of neural crest induction or during neural crest induction, or corneal endothelial progenitor cells, may be cultured in the presence of PDGFB, which may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 0.1 ng / ml, 0.2 ng / ml, 0.5 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml, or lower, or 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 30 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 75 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 125 ng / ml, 150 ng / ml, 200 ng / ml, 250 ng / ml, or higher, for example, 0.1 ng / ml to 250 ng / ml, 0.5 ng / ml to 150 ng / ml, 1 to 50 ng / ml, 2 to 20 ng / ml, preferably even about 10 ng / ml.

[0283] Multipotent cells or other cells, such as corneal progenitor cells or neural crest cells, may be cultured in the presence of DKK2 (e.g., human DKK2 polypeptide such as NP_055236.1, or the mature polypeptide contained therein), and a culture medium containing DKK2. Neural crest stem cells (whether obtained from differentiating pluripotent cells or from other sources), and / or neural crest stem cells (e.g., culture in the presence of dual SMAD inhibitors) or differentiating pluripotent cells cultured under conditions that produce corneal endothelial progenitor cells, may be cultured in the presence of DKK2 or DKK2 agonists. DKK2 agonists may include activators and / or inhibitors of the Wnt pathway, which may functionally replace DKK2 in the differentiation of CECs. In addition to or instead of DKK2, RNAi may be used to target LRP5 / 6 or Kremen and knock down their expression. Wnt pathway inhibitors such as DKK1, 3, 4 and Soggy, secreted frizzled-related protein (Frzb), and Wnt inhibitory factors (WIF) or casein kinases 1-7, or other factors that stabilize or destabilize b-catenin, may also be used in addition to or in place of DKK2. Additionally, modulating members of the LEF / TCF transcription factors may also be used in addition to or in place of DKK2. Exemplary Wnt pathway activators include Wnt proteins, nucleic acids encoding Wnt proteins, LiCl, inhibitors of negative regulators of the Wnt pathway (e.g., RNAi or other inhibitors targeting Axin and / or APC), norrin, R-spondin2. Small molecule Wnt pathway activators include: (hetero)arylpyrimidine, IQ1, BIO (6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime), 2-amino-4-[3,4-(methylenedioxy)benzyl-amino]-6-(3-methoxyphenyl)pyrimidine, WAY-316606, QS11, SB-216763, SB-216763, and DCA.Small molecule Wnt pathway inhibitors include: IWR, pyrvinium, ICG-001, PKF115-584 (and several other compounds), IWP, Ant1.4Br / Ant1.4Cl, niclosamide, apicularen and bafilomycin, XAV939, NSC668036, 2,4-diamino-quinazoline, and quercetin. Additional exemplary WNT pathway inhibitors that may be utilized include ID8 (Hasagawa et al., Stem Cells Transl Med. 2012 January; 1(1):18-28), WntC59 (Proffitt Cancer Res Published OnlineFirst Nov. 27, 2012; DOI:10.1158 / 0008-5472.CAN-12-2258), CGK062 (Gwak et al., PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(10):e46697), IWP2 (Blauwkamp et al., Nat Commun. 2012; 3:1070), FH535 (Iida et al., PLoS One. 2012; 7(9):e44418), and riluzole (Zhao et al., J Biomol Screen. 2012 October; 17(9):1252-63). Combinations of the foregoing factors, such as combinations comprising more than one Wnt pathway activator, more than one Wnt pathway inhibitor, or at least one Wnt pathway activator and at least one Wnt pathway inhibitor, may also be used in addition to or in place of DKK2.

[0284] Corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells, for example in cultures comprising pluripotent cells after initiating neural crest induction or during neural crest induction, may be cultured in the presence of DKK2, which may be present in the culture medium at a concentration of as little as 1 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 4 ng / ml, 5 ng / ml, 6 ng / ml or less, or 10 ng / ml, 20 ng / ml, 50 ng / ml, 100 ng / ml, 1 mg / ml, 5 mg / ml, 10 mg / ml, 15 mg / ml or more, for example 1 ng / ml to 15 mg / ml, 10 ng / ml to 15 mg / ml, 1 ng / ml to 1 mg / ml, 1 ng / ml to 100 ng / ml, 2 ng / ml to 20 ng / ml, or 5 ng / ml to 20 ng / ml, preferably as low as about 10 ng / ml.

[0285] The pluripotent cells or other cells, such as corneal progenitor cells or neural crest cells, may be cultured with one or more factors that promote proliferation of the CECs. Such factors may be included in the culture of the cells during and / or after formation of the corneal endothelial cells, and may include EGF, NGF and ITS supplements, including insulin and / or transferrin.

[0286] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention comprises increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFAP2B, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358, and ZNF395 in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell, and culturing the corneal progenitor cell in a culture medium.

[0287] In some embodiments, the method of the present invention comprises increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFAP2B, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358, and ZNF395 in a pluripotent stem cell, such as an induced pluripotent stem cell or an embryonic stem cell, and culturing the pluripotent stem cell in a culture medium.

[0288] In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 days or longer before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor disclosed herein.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 8 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 10 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 12 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0289] In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24 days or longer after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor disclosed herein.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 4 days, at least 10 days, at least 18 days or at least 24 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 18 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0290] In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells. Suitable culture media for isolating, growing and differentiating pluripotent stem cells into corneal progenitor cells by the method described herein include, but are not limited to, StemFit Basic03 medium (Ajinomoto), mTeSR1 medium, high glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), DMEM / F-15 (Thermo Fisher#11330-032), Liebovitz L-15, RPMI 1640, Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium (IMDM) and Opti-MEM SFM (Invitrogen Inc.). Chemically defined media include minimum essential medium such as Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium (IMDM) (Gibco), supplemented with human serum albumin, human Ex Cyte lipoprotein, transferrin, insulin, vitamins, essential and non-essential amino acids, sodium pyruvate, glutamine, and mitogens are also suitable. As used herein, mitogen refers to an agent that stimulates cell division. The agent can be a chemical, usually some form of protein, that prompts cells to begin cell division and causes mitosis. In one embodiment, serum-free medium (U.S. Application No. 08 / 464,599 and PCT Publication No. WO96 / 39487; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) and complete medium (U.S. Patent No. 5,486,359; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) are contemplated for use with the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the culture medium is supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), human autologous serum, human AB serum, or platelet-rich serum supplemented with heparin (2U / ml). The cell culture may be maintained in a CO atmosphere, for example 5% to 12%, to maintain the pH of the culture medium, incubated in a humidified atmosphere at 37°C, and passaged to maintain 100% confluence during corneal endothelial progenitor cell differentiation.

[0291] Pluripotent stem cells to be differentiated into corneal progenitor cells or neural crest stem cells may be cultured in a medium sufficient to maintain pluripotency.The culture of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells produced in one aspect of the present invention can use a variety of media and techniques developed for culturing primate pluripotent stem cells, more specifically embryonic stem cells (US Patent Application No. 20070238170 and US Patent Application No. 20030211603; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).For example, PSCs can be maintained in StemFit® medium with or without ROCK inhibitor, or in mTeSR1 medium. Like human embryonic stem (hES) cells, iPS cells can be maintained in 80% DMEM (Gibco #10829-018 or #11965-092), 20% non-heat inactivated defined fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% non-essential amino acids, 1 mM L-glutamine, and 0.1 mM b-mercaptoethanol. Alternatively, ES cells can be maintained in serum-free medium made of 80% Knock-Out DMEM (Gibco #10829-018), 20% serum replacement (Gibco #10828-028), 1% non-essential amino acids, 1 mM L-glutamine, and 0.1 mM b-mercaptoethanol.

[0292] In some embodiments, the method of culturing pluripotent stem cells to induce the formation of corneal progenitor cells or neural stem crest cells comprises generating corneal endothelial progenitor cells, e.g., neural crest cells, by culturing pluripotent stem cells in a differentiation medium comprising basic FGF, SB431542 and noggin.

[0293] In some embodiments, the method of culturing pluripotent stem cells comprises culturing on a suitable matrix, for example iMatrix 511 (Takara Bio, T304). In some embodiments, the pluripotent stem cells are cultured for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 12 days.

[0294] In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor disclosed herein. In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 8 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 10 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 12 days before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor. In some embodiments, corneal endothelial progenitor cells are cultured in a culture medium containing a ROCK inhibitor, such as Y27632, human FGF-basic SB431542, noggin, EGF and / or NGF before increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0295] In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24 days or longer after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor disclosed herein.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 2 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 4 days, at least 10 days, at least 18 days or at least 24 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.In some embodiments, corneal progenitor cells are cultured for at least 18 days after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0296] In some embodiments, the corneal endothelial precursor cells are cultured in a culture medium containing EGF and / or NGF before or after increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor.

[0297] To generate corneal endothelial progenitor cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, in some embodiments, a monolayer of pluripotent cells is harvested and cultured at, for example, 2×10 5 cells / cm 2 The cells are seeded at a density of 100-1500 μg / ml. Step 1 of the differentiation process is initiated by culturing the pluripotent stem cells in culture medium for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 days, with or without a ROCK inhibitor for 1, 2 or 3 days or longer. This is followed by step 2, in which the cells obtained in step 1 are cultured in culture medium with one or more of FGF-2, SB431542 and Noggin for at least 4, 6, 8 or 10 days. This is followed by step 3, in which the cells obtained in step 2 are cultured in culture medium containing EGF, with or without a ROCK inhibitor for at least 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days. This is followed by culturing in culture medium containing one EGF and one NGF for at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30 days. Media useful for preparing corneal endothelial progenitor cells derived from pluripotent stem cells include the following:

[0298] Table 3: Maturation medium 1 [Table 3]

[0299] Table 4: Maturation medium 2 [Table 4]

[0300] Table 5: Maturation medium 3 [Table 5]

[0301] Corneal endothelial cell markers CECs, e.g., mature CECs, can be characterized according to a number of phenotypic categories, including, but not limited to, detection or quantification of expressed cell markers, pump activity, efficacy in corneal repair in vivo, and improved corneal function in vivo, as well as characterization of morphological features in vitro and subsequent engraftment in vivo.

[0302] In one aspect of the present invention, exemplified CECs, e.g., mature CECs, have morphological features that are characteristic of naturally occurring CECs (e.g., derived from cornea). Features are easily understood by those skilled in the art and include any or all of the following: the ability to form a monolayer of uniformly sized cells, mainly polygonal or hexagonal in shape, that lines the posterior surface of the cornea (in vivo) and faces the anterior chamber of the eye, that is rich in mitochondria, that allows leakage of solutes and nutrients from the aqueous body fluid to the more superficial layers of the cornea, while at the same time forming a "leaky pump" that actively pumps water in the opposite direction from the corneal stroma to the aqueous, and resistance to oxidative stress. Many of these features present in a single cell are consistent with the cell being a member of the CEC cell lineage.

[0303] The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, can also be classified according to whether they express phenotypic markers characteristic of cells of the CEC cell lineage. Exemplary corneal endothelial cell markers include, but are not limited to, PITX2, SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B, AQP1, ATP1A1, TJP1, NCAM1, CDH2, SLC4A4, CD166, POU6F2, CD248, MRGPRX3, KLF13, CA2, NBC1, N-cadherin, Na + / K +ATPase, ZO-1, KLF13, collagen VIII, SLC16A3, CFTR, NBC1, CA2, AE2, SCL4A2, SCL16A1, CA12 and CA4. CECs, such as mature CECs, may not express NGFR, SOX10, HNK1, SSEA4, NANOG, OCT4, vWF and CD31 (the latter present in vascular endothelial cells). CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may express one or more corneal endothelial pump markers (including AQP1, CA2, CA4, CA12, SCL14A2, SLC16A1, SLC16A3, SLC16A7, CFTR, NHE1, ADCY10, voltage-dependent anion channels VDAC2 and VDAC3, chloride channel proteins CLCN2 and CLC), markers of periocular neural crest (including PITX2, and FOXC1), and / or cell adhesion and matrix proteins (including occludin, connexin 43, 9.3E antigen, collagen III, collagen IV, N-cadherin, VE-cadherin, E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p120, p190 laminin alpha 4, nidogen-2, and netrin 4). CECs, eg, mature CECs, may express at least one corneal endothelial pump marker, at least one periocular neural crest marker, and at least one cell adhesion and matrix protein.

[0304] The CEC markers may include any one of the markers provided in Table 6 (mRNA sequences provided as SEQ ID NOs: 98-140, and amino acid sequences provided as SEQ ID NOs: 141-181).

[0305] Table 6 [Table 6]

[0306] CEC, for example, mature CEC, may also present a global gene expression profile that is an indicator of CEC maturation. The global gene expression profile may be compared with that of primary CEC or known mature CEC, and may be obtained by any method known in the art, for example, transcriptome analysis or microarray analysis. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of corneal endothelial progenitor cells toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of corneal endothelial progenitor cells toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 1%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of corneal endothelial progenitor cells toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 5%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of the corneal endothelial progenitor cell toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 10%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of the corneal endothelial progenitor cell toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 20%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of the corneal endothelial progenitor cell toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 30%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of the corneal endothelial progenitor cell toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 40%. In some embodiments, increasing the expression of at least one transcription factor shifts the transcriptome of the corneal endothelial progenitor cell toward the transcriptome of CEC, for example, mature CEC, by at least 50%.

[0307] The evaluation of the level of expression of such markers in CECs, e.g., mature CECs, can be determined in comparison with other cells, e.g., primary CECs, corneal endothelial progenitor cells, neural crest cells, and vascular endothelial cells. Positive controls for markers of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, include adult corneal endothelial cells of the species of interest, e.g., primary human corneal endothelial cells.

[0308] The tissue-specific (e.g., corneal endothelial cell-specific) protein and oligosaccharide determinants listed in this disclosure can be detected using any suitable immunological technique, such as flow immunocytochemistry for cell surface markers, immunohistochemistry (e.g., of fixed cells or tissue sections) for intracellular or cell surface markers, Western blot analysis of cell extracts, and enzyme-linked immunoassays for products secreted into cell extracts or medium. Expression of an antigen by a cell is said to be "detectable by an antibody" if a significantly detectable amount of antibody will bind to the antigen in a standard immunocytochemistry or flow cytometry assay, optionally after fixation of the cells, and optionally using a labeled secondary antibody or other conjugate (such as biotin-avidin conjugate) to amplify the label.

[0309] Expression of tissue-specific (e.g., CEC, e.g., mature CEC-specific) markers can also be detected at the mRNA level by Northern blot analysis, dot blot hybridization analysis, or by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using sequence-specific primers in standard amplification methods (US Pat. No. 5,843,780). Sequence data for specific markers listed in this disclosure can be obtained from public databases such as GenBank. Expression at the mRNA level is said to be "detectable" according to one of the assays described in this disclosure if the execution of the assay on a cell sample according to standard procedures in a typical control experiment results in clearly distinguishable hybridization or amplification products within a standard time window. Unless otherwise required, expression of a particular marker is indicated if the corresponding mRNA is detectable by RT-PCR. Expression of a tissue-specific marker, when detected at the protein or mRNA level, is considered positive if the level is at least 2-fold, and preferably 10-fold or 50-fold higher than that of control cells, such as undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells, fibroblasts, or other unrelated cell types.

[0310] CECs, for example, mature CECs, can also be characterized according to whether they present the ability to form a "leaky pump", which allows solutes and nutrients to leak from aqueous fluid to the more superficial layers of the cornea, while at the same time actively pumping water in the opposite direction from the corneal stroma to the aqueous.The pump function of CECs can be evaluated by methods known in the art, for example, as described in Mimuara et al., 2004 Investigative Opthamology and Visual Science, 45:9, pp. 2992-2997.To determine the change in pump function in CECs, for example, mature CECs, derived from pluripotent stem cells, for example, induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells, or corneal endothelial progenitor cells expressing the transcription factor of the present invention, pump function can be compared with cultured primary CECs (for example, human), unmodified corneal endothelial progenitor cells, and / or undifferentiated cells (such as pluripotent stem cells, neural crest stem cells, etc.). Addition of ouabain (a Na / K ATPase inhibitor) will eliminate pump function and allow assessment of the presence / absence of pump function.

[0311] CEC, for example, mature CEC, can also be characterized by the level of resistance to oxidative stress.The resistance to oxidative stress can be measured by qPCR for determining the level of expression of genes of oxidative stress pathway (NRF2, NOS2, etc.) and by measuring the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells using biomarkers of ROS such as nitrotyrosine and CellRox (CellROX™ Reagent Variety Pack for oxidative stress detection, Thermofisher, C1044).The response to oxidative stress can be evaluated by methods known in the art, for example, as described in Guha et al. 2017, Nature Scientific Reports, 4:4074 (| DOI:10.1038 / s41598-017-03654-4). To determine changes in resistance to oxidative stress in CECs derived from pluripotent stem cells, for example, induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells, or corneal endothelial progenitor cells expressing the transcription factors of the present invention, the level of resistance to oxidative stress can be compared to that of cultured primary CECs (e.g., human), unmodified corneal endothelial progenitor cells, and / or undifferentiated cells (pluripotent stem cells, neural crest stem cells, etc.).

[0312] A further feature of CECs, such as mature CECs, is their predominantly polygonal or hexagonal shape. In yet another aspect, CECs, for example mature CECs, can be evaluated for their ability to engraft and / or show long-term survival in subjects.In one embodiment, to determine whether CECs, for example mature CECs, survive in vivo and maintain their phenotype, CECs are administered to the cornea of ​​a suitable animal (as described herein).Corneal tissue is harvested after several days to weeks or longer to evaluate the presence and phenotype of administered cells, for example by immunohistochemistry or ELISA using human specific antibodies or by RT-PCR analysis.Suitable markers for evaluating gene expression at the mRNA or protein level are provided in the present disclosure.Effects of corneal function can also be determined by evaluating markers of pump function or tight junctions.

[0313] In some embodiments, the CECs, for example, mature CECs, are engrafted into the cornea of ​​the recipient subject. In some embodiments, the CECs, for example, mature CECs, comprise a population of CECs, for example, mature CECs, wherein at least 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100% of the CECs, for example, mature CECs, are engrafted into the cornea of ​​the recipient subject.

[0314] II. Cells and Compositions of the Invention Another aspect of the present invention provides a composition comprising a population of CEC, for example mature CEC, for example produced according to any of the methods described herein.The present invention also provides a composition comprising a population of CEC, for example mature CEC, comprising exogenous transcription factor or nucleic acid encoding transcription factor.The present invention also provides a composition comprising a population of pluripotent stem cells, for example induced pluripotent stem cells or embryonic stem cells, a population of neural crest stem cells, or a population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells, comprising exogenous transcription factor or nucleic acid encoding transcription factor.

[0315] In some embodiments, the composition is an enriched, purified, or isolated population of CECs, neural crest stem cells, corneal endothelial progenitor cells, or pluripotent stem cells, e.g., generated according to any of the methods described herein. The enriched, purified, or isolated population of CECs, neural crest stem cells, corneal endothelial progenitor cells, or pluripotent stem cells may be a suspension of single cells, aggregates, chimeric aggregates, and / or structures, including branched structures and / or cysts.

[0316] In some embodiments, the population of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, comprises an increased expression level of at least one transcription factor selected from the group consisting of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2, compared to the endogenous expression level of the transcription factor in the population of CECs, e.g., mature CECs.

[0317] In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs.In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of PITX2 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of Pitx2 in a population of CECs. In any of the above embodiments, the CECs may be mature CECs.

[0318] In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in a population of CECs.In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in the population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of FOXC1 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of FOXC1 in the population of CECs. In any of the above embodiments, the CECs may be mature CECs.

[0319] In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs.In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of TFAP2B comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of TFAP2B in a population of CECs. In any of the above embodiments, the CECs may be mature CECs.

[0320] In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs.In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of LMX1B comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of LMX1B in a population of CECs. In any of the above embodiments, the CECs may be mature CECs.

[0321] In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least 0.1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least 0.2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least 0.5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 1-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 2-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 5-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 10-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 20-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 50-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 100-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 200-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs.In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 500-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 1,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In some embodiments, the increased expression of POU6F2 comprises at least a 10,000-fold increase compared to the endogenous expression level of POU6F2 in a population of CECs. In any of the above embodiments, the CECs may be mature CECs.

[0322] In some embodiments, the population of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, further comprises one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ERG, ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUN B, JUN D, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358 and ZNF395, the expression level of which is increased compared to the endogenous expression level in the population of CECs, e.g., mature CECs. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are ERG. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are BHLHE40. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are CEBPD. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are CSRNP1. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are EGR1. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are ESRRA. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are ETS2. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are FOS. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are FOSB. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are FOSL2. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are JUN. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are JUNB. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are JUND. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are KLF10. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are KLF9. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are NR1D1. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are NR4A1. In some embodiments, the one or more transcription factors are TSC22D1.

[0323] In some embodiments, the population of CECs is a population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, the population of CECs is a population of mature CECs. In some embodiments, the population of CECs includes both mature CECs and corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0324] In some embodiments, the composition of the population of CECs is about 1×10 6 CEC ~ approx. 1 x 10 12 In some embodiments, the composition of the population of CECs comprises at least 1 x 10 5 , 1×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , 1×10 9 , 1×10 10 , 1×10 11 , or 1 × 10 12 Includes CECs.

[0325] Also provided herein are pharmaceutical compositions and formulations comprising CECs, such as mature CECs or corneal endothelial progenitor cells, and a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition comprises about 1×10 6 CEC ~ approx. 1 x 10 12 In some embodiments, the dose ranges from about 1 x 10 CECs. 5 , 1×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , 1×10 9 , 1×10 10 , 1×10 11 , or 1 × 10 12 In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition comprises about 1×10 CECs. 6 CEC ~ approx. 1 x 10 12 The doses include a range of CECs.

[0326] A further aspect of the invention provides a composition comprising a population of pluripotent liver cells comprising an expression vector, wherein the expression vector comprises a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is one or more of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is PITX2. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is FOXC1. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is TFAP2B. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is LMX1B. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is POU6F2.

[0327] In some embodiments, the population of pluripotent stem cells further comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ERG, ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS 2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358 and ZNF395.

[0328] In some embodiments, the composition comprising a population of pluripotent stem cells is about 1×10 6 pluripotent stem cells ~ approx. 1 x 10 12 In some embodiments, the composition comprising a population of pluripotent stem cells comprises at least 1 x 10 5 , 1×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , 1×10 9 , 1×10 10 , 1×10 11 , or 1 × 10 12 The cell comprises pluripotent stem cells.

[0329] In some embodiments, the pluripotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells. In some embodiments, the pluripotent stem cells are induced pluripotent stem cells. A further aspect of the present invention provides a composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprising an expression vector, wherein the expression vector comprises a nucleic acid encoding at least one transcription factor of the present disclosure.

[0330] In some embodiments, the transcription factor is one or more of PITX2, FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is PITX2. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is FOXC1. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is TFAP2B. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is LMX1B. In some embodiments, the transcription factor is POU6F2.

[0331] In some embodiments, the population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells further comprises an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ERG, ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUNB, JUND, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358 and ZNF395.

[0332] In some embodiments, the composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises about 1×10 6 Corneal endothelial progenitor cells ~ approximately 1 x 10 12 In some embodiments, the composition comprising a population of corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises at least 1×10 5 , 1×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , 1×10 9 , 1×10 10 , 1×10 11 , or 1 × 10 12 corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0333] Also provided herein are pharmaceutical compositions and formulations comprising the corneal endothelial progenitor cells and a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition comprises about 1×10 6 Corneal endothelial progenitor cells ~ approximately 1 x 10 12 In some embodiments, the dose ranges from about 1×10 to about 1×10 corneal endothelial progenitor cells. 5 , 1×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , 1×10 9 , 1×10 10 , 1×10 11 , or 1 × 10 12 In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition comprises about 1×10 corneal endothelial progenitor cells. 6 Corneal endothelial progenitor cells ~ approximately 1 x 10 12 The doses range from 100 to 150 corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

[0334] Pharmaceutical compositions and formulations as described herein can be prepared in the form of an aqueous solution by mixing CECs, e.g., mature CECs, with one or more pharma- ceutically acceptable carriers (Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22nd ed., 2012; incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are generally non-toxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations used, and include, but are not limited to, buffers such as phosphate, citric acid, and other organic acids; antioxidants, including ascorbic acid and methionine; preservatives (e.g., octadecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride; hexamethonium chloride; benzalkonium chloride; benzethonium chloride; phenol, butyl, or benzyl alcohol; alkyl parabens, such as methyl or propyl paraben; catechol; resorcinol; cyclohexanol; 3-pentanol; and m-cresol); low molecular weight compounds such as glycerol, ... Polypeptides of low molecular weight (less than about 10 residues); proteins such as serum albumin, gelatin, or immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such as glycine, glutamine, asparagine, histidine, arginine, or lysine; monosaccharides, disaccharides, and other carbohydrates, including glucose, mannose, or dextrin; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugars such as sucrose, mannitol, trehalose, or sorbitol; salt-forming counterions such as sodium; metal complexes (e.g., Zn-protein complexes); and / or non-ionic surfactants such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). Exemplary pharmacologic carriers herein further include interstitial drug dispersion agents, such as soluble neutral active hyaluronidase glycoproteins (sHASEGPs), e.g., human soluble PH-20 hyaluronidase glycoproteins, such as rHuPH20 (HYLENEX®, Baxter International, Inc.). Certain exemplary sHASEGPs, including rHuPH20, and methods of use are described in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2005 / 0260186 and 2006 / 0104968; each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.In one aspect, the sHASEGP is combined with one or more additional glycosaminoglycanases, such as chondroitinases.

[0335] In some embodiments, the compositions and pharmaceutical compositions comprising CECs comprise a substantially purified population of CECs. For example, the compositions of CECs may comprise less than 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, or 1% of cells other than CECs. In some embodiments, the compositions of CECs comprise less than 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, or 1% of pluripotent stem cells. In other embodiments, the compositions of CECs are free of or undetectable from pluripotent stem cells. In some embodiments, the compositions of CECs comprise less than 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, or 1% of corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In another embodiment, the composition of CEC does not contain or is undetectable with respect to corneal endothelial progenitor cells. In some embodiments, a composition comprising a substantially purified population of CECs is one in which the CECs comprise at least about 75% of the cells in the composition. In other embodiments, a substantially purified population of CECs is one in which the CECs comprise at least about 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 97.5%, 98%, 99%, or even more than 99% of the cells in the population. In any of the embodiments, the substantially purified population of CECs can be a substantially purified population of mature CECs.

[0336] III. Methods of Use of Corneal Endothelial Cells The CECs, e.g., mature CECs, and pharmaceutical compositions produced by the methods described herein may be used for cell-based treatments for ocular disorders, including disorders of the cornea, for which corneal endothelial cells are required or which improve treatment. Methods using the CECs, e.g., mature CECs, produced by the present invention to treat a variety of conditions that may benefit from corneal endothelial cell-based therapy are described herein. The specific treatment regimen, route of administration, and any adjuvant treatments will be tailored to the specific condition, based on the severity of the condition, and the overall health of the patient. In addition, in some embodiments, administration of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be effective to completely repair loss of corneal function or other symptoms. In other embodiments, administration of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be effective to reduce the severity of the symptoms and / or prevent further degeneration in the patient's condition. The present invention contemplates that administration of compositions comprising CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be used to treat any of the conditions described herein (including reducing the severity of the symptoms completely or partially).

[0337] The present invention contemplates that CECs, e.g., mature CECs, including compositions comprising CECs, e.g., mature CECs, induced using any of the methods described herein, can be used in the treatment of any of the indications described herein.Furthermore, the present invention contemplates that any of the compositions comprising CECs, e.g., mature CECs, described herein can be used in the treatment of any of the indications described herein.

[0338] In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides therapeutic methods for the prevention and / or treatment of diseases, preferably diseases that affect corneal endothelial cells or are amenable to treatment by transplantation or administration thereof, e.g., primary diseases such as Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy and congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophies, as well as secondary diseases (including corneal dystrophies) for which an effective treatment is replacement of the corneal endothelium, or secondary diseases in which the subject exhibits symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, secondary diseases in which the subject has ocular damage due to contact lens use or cataract surgery, or secondary diseases in which the subject is considering a corneal transplant, late endothelial failure in corneal transplants.

[0339] In another embodiment, the CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered together with other therapeutic cells or agents. The CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered simultaneously or sequentially in a combined or separate formulation. The treatment method may include administration of an immunosuppressant. Immunosuppressants that may be used include, but are not limited to, anti-lymphocyte globulin (ALG) polyclonal antibody, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) polyclonal antibody, azathioprine, BASILIXIMAB® (anti-IL-2R alpha receptor antibody), cyclosporine (cyclosporine A), DACLIZUMAB® (anti-IL-2R alpha receptor antibody), everolimus, mycophenolic acid, RITUXIMAB® (anti-CD20 antibody), sirolimus, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, corticosteroids and mesenchymal stem cells. Immunosuppressants may be administered at least about 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 mg / kg. When immunosuppressants are used, they may be administered systemically or locally, and they may be administered before, simultaneously with, or after administration of CECs, e.g., mature CECs. Immunosuppressant treatment may continue for weeks, months, years, or indefinitely after administration of cells. For example, a patient may be administered 5 mg / kg cyclosporine for 6 weeks after administration of CECs, e.g., mature CECs. Additionally, the composition of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may include an immunosuppressant, e.g., any of those mentioned above.

[0340] The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered with an agent that promotes cell attachment, engraftment and / or survival. The CECs of the present invention may be administered with a ROCK inhibitor, e.g., Y27632, and an extracellular matrix protein, e.g., fibronectin. The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered with one or more anti-apoptotic agents, anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, and extracellular matrix proteins (e.g., fibronectin, laminin, truncated E8 fragments of laminin (e.g., iMatrix 511), collagen (types I, II, III, IV, VIII, etc.), etc.

[0341] The CECs, for example, mature CECs and compositions provided by the method of the present invention can also be used in various applications.These include, but are not limited to, corneal endothelial cell transplantation or implantation in vivo; screening for cytotoxic compounds, carcinogens, mutagens, growth / regulatory factors, or pharmaceutical compounds in vitro; elucidating the mechanism of corneal disease and infection; studying the mechanism of drug and / or growth factor action; diagnosing and monitoring cancer in patients; gene therapy; and producing bioactive products.In some embodiments, corneal endothelial cells include mature corneal endothelial cells, neural crest stem cells, corneal endothelial progenitor cells, or combinations thereof.

[0342] Test Compound Screening The CECs of the present invention, for example mature CECs, can be used to screen for factors (such as solvents, small molecule drugs, peptides, and polynucleotides) or environmental conditions (such as culture conditions or manipulations) that affect the characteristics of the corneal endothelial cells provided herein.

[0343] In some applications, stem cells (differentiated or undifferentiated) are used to screen factors that promote the maturation of cells along the lineage of corneal endothelial cells, or promote the proliferation and maintenance of such cells in long-term culture.For example, candidate corneal endothelial cell maturation factors or growth factors are tested for further culturing and use of cells by adding them to stem cells in different wells, and then determining any phenotypic changes that occur according to desired criteria.

[0344] A particular application of the screening of the present invention relates to the testing of pharmaceutical compounds in drug research, for example as described in In vitro Methods in Pharmaceutical Research, Academic Press, 1997 and U.S. Patent No. 5,030,015; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Evaluating the activity of a candidate pharmaceutical compound generally involves combining CECs, such as mature CECs, provided in one aspect of the present invention with a candidate compound to determine any changes in cell morphology, marker phenotype or metabolic activity that may be attributable to the compound (compared to untreated cells or cells treated with an inactive compound), and then correlating the effect of the compound with the observed changes.Screening may be performed because the compound is designed to have a pharmaceutical effect on corneal endothelial cells, or because a compound designed to have a different effect may have unintended side effects on the cornea.Two or more drugs can be tested in combination (by combining with cells simultaneously or sequentially) to detect possible drug-drug interaction effects.

[0345] Corneal Treatment and Transplants The present invention also provides for the use of the CECs, eg, mature CECs, described herein to restore a degree of ocular function to a subject in need thereof.

[0346] To determine the suitability of the CECs provided herein, for example, mature CECs, for therapeutic application, the cells can first be tested in a suitable animal model.Suitable animal models include the rabbit CEC scraping model (Okumura et al., 2017 Am. J. Pathol., 2012, 181(1): 268-277) or the monkey CEC scraping model (Okumura et al., 2016, Nature Scientific Reports, 6:26113, DOI: 10.1038 / srep26113).Further models useful for the present invention include the L450W and Q455K Col8a2 knock-in mouse model of Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy (Meng et al., 2013, Invest. Opthamol. Vis. Sci. 54(3):1887-189) and the mouse SLC4A11 knockout model (Groger et al. 2010, J. Biol. Chem., 285(19): 14467) Rodent models include 。 Such models are useful for evaluating the ability of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, to survive and maintain their phenotype in vivo. CECs, e.g., mature CECs, provided herein, are administered to animals. After a period of days to weeks or longer, tissues are harvested and evaluated. This can be done by providing the administered cells with a detectable label (such as green fluorescent protein, or β-galactosidase); or by measuring specific constitutive markers for the administered cells. The presence and phenotype of human CECs, e.g., mature CECs, administered to rodents can be evaluated by immunohistochemistry or ELISA using human-specific antibodies, or by RT-PCR analysis using primers and hybridization conditions that cause amplification that should be specific for human polynucleotide sequences. Markers suitable for evaluating gene expression at the mRNA or protein level are provided herein.

[0347] The CECs provided in certain aspects of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, which show desirable functional characteristics described herein or efficacy in animal models, may also be suitable for direct administration to human subjects with corneal dysfunction. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of treatment, comprising transplanting a cultured sheet or monolayer or spheroid of CECs, e.g., mature CECs or their precursors, into the eye of a subject in need thereof, e.g., an individual suffering from a corneal endothelial cell disease. For example, the subject's eye may be prepared by removing Descemet's membrane, and the CECs, e.g., cultured sheet or monolayer or spheroid of mature CECs, may be placed in the anterior chamber of the eye, e.g., in contact with (and preferably attached or affixed to) the posterior corneal stroma. Optionally, the CECs, e.g., sheets or monolayers or spheroids of mature CECs or their precursors, may be provided on a carrier and administered to the patient's eye.

[0348] One procedure that may be clinically favorable when only the corneal endothelium is compromised is Descemet's membrane stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), which involves removal of the diseased Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelium, followed by transplantation of donor tissue. Procedures have been developed to either replace the entire cornea (penetrating keratoplasty or PK) or to spare the patient's Descemet's membrane and endothelium and replace the remaining layers with donor tissue (lamellar keratoplasty). See generally U.S. Patent No. 5,755,785, U.S. Patent No. 5,649,944, U.S. Patent No. 7,147,648, U.S. Patent No. 7,300,653, U.S. Patent No. 5,584,881, U.S. Patent No. 5,686,414, U.S. Patent No. 7,300,654, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 525,391; each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further methods of surgical replacement of corneal endothelium are under development, including Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), in which donor tissue consists only of Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelium. Surgical replacement treatment of corneal endothelium can be evaluated using suitable animal models, such as any of the models described herein. In one aspect of the present invention, the CECs, such as mature CECs, provided may be used for corneal endothelial reconstruction, where the CECs, such as mature CECs, are cultured in vitro before transplantation. For example, donated human corneal cells are cultured on a polymer, released onto a bioadhesive gelatin disk, and then successfully incorporated into denuded rabbit cornea, and the gelatin disk dissolves after transplantation (Hsiue et al., Transplantation. 2006 Feb. 15; 81(3):473-6; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). However, methods that utilize cultured cells presuppose a source of said cells, and thus suffer from the lack of suitable donated tissue as described above. In addition, due to variations between donated cells, it may prove difficult to generate corneal endothelial cell cultures of consistent quality and potency.Regulatory hurdles may also make such methods logistically difficult to perform on a large scale, due to the possibility that extensive testing for safety and / or efficacy may be required for cells obtained from each donor. These and additional therapeutic methods are further described in Thomas John, Corneal Endothelial Transplant: DSAEK, DMEK & DLEK (JP Medical Ltd, 2010), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0349] In one aspect of the present invention, the CECs, for example, mature CECs, can be used to treat any subject that needs to repair or replace eye function.Human conditions that may be suitable for such treatment include primary diseases such as Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy and congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy, as well as secondary diseases (including corneal dystrophy) for which effective treatment is replacement of corneal endothelium, or secondary diseases in which subjects show symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, secondary diseases in which subjects have eye damage due to contact lens use or cataract surgery, or secondary diseases in which subjects are considering corneal transplantation.

[0350] For human treatment, the dosage is generally about 10 9 ~10 12 cells, typically about 5 x 10 9 ~5×10 10 The number of cells administered will be adjusted according to the subject's weight, the nature and severity of the affliction, and the replicative capacity of the administered cells.

[0351] The present invention also provides the method of use of CEC disclosed herein, for example, mature CEC, which is combined with other cell types, for example, organoid.Organoid can be established from CEC and proliferate for several months, while maintaining important morphological, functional and gene expression characteristics.

[0352] Furthermore, for purposes of manufacture, distribution and use, the CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be supplied in the form of cell culture or suspension, in an isotonic excipient or culture medium, optionally frozen for ease of transport or storage.

[0353] The compositions of the present disclosure may be in a formulation suitable for use in treating a human patient, such as being pyrogen-free or essentially pyrogen-free and pathogen-free. When administered, the pharmaceutical preparations for use in the present disclosure may be in a pyrogen-free, pathogen-free, physiologically acceptable form. The compositions of the present disclosure may be in a formulation suitable for administration to a non-human veterinary mammal, such as a dog, cat, or cow.

[0354] The present invention also includes various reagent systems, including cell sets or combinations, which exist at any time during production, distribution or use.Cell sets include any combination of two or more cell populations described in this disclosure, such as CECs, such as mature CECs, their precursors and subtypes, combined with undifferentiated stem cells, somatic cell-derived corneal endothelial cells, or other differentiated cell types.Cell populations in a set sometimes share the same genome or its genetically modified form.

[0355] The present invention contemplates that compositions of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, obtained, for example, from human pluripotent stem cells (e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells, human embryonic stem cells or other pluripotent stem cells), may be used to treat any of the aforementioned diseases or conditions. These diseases can be treated with compositions of CECs, e.g., mature CECs, that include CECs of various levels of maturity, as well as with compositions of CECs enriched for mature CECs.

[0356] IV. Methods of Administration of Corneal Endothelial Cells The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered by any route of administration appropriate for the disease or disorder being treated. In one embodiment, the CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered topically, systemically, or locally, e.g., by injection or as part of a device or implant (e.g., a sustained release implant). For example, the CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered topically, systemically, or locally, e.g., by injection or as part of a device or implant (e.g., a sustained release implant). Fuchs' dystrophy, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, posterior polymorphous dystrophy, and congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy, and secondary diseases (including corneal dystrophy) for which effective treatment is replacement of corneal endothelium, or secondary diseases in which the subject shows symptoms of corneal edema resulting in bullous keratopathy, secondary diseases in which the subject has eye damage due to contact lens use or cataract surgery, or secondary diseases in which the subject is considering corneal transplantation, or when treating patients with disorders or diseases such as macular degeneration, Stargardt's disease, and retinitis pigmentosa, surgery can be used to implant into the eye.Those skilled in the art will be able to determine the route of administration for the disease or disorder being treated.

[0357] The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be delivered by injection in a pharma- ceutically acceptable formulation. The concentration for injection may be in any amount that is effective and non-toxic, depending on the factors described herein. In one embodiment, at least 1×10 6 , 2×10 6 , 5×10 6 , 1×10 7 , 1×10 8 , or 1 × 10 10 The CECs, eg, mature CECs, may be administered to a patient in need thereof.

[0358] Products and systems comprising the agents of the invention, such as delivery vehicles, particularly those formulated as pharmaceutical compositions, as well as kits comprising such delivery vehicles and / or systems, are also envisaged as being part of the invention.

[0359] In some embodiments, the therapeutic methods of the invention include administering the CECs of the invention, e.g., mature CECs, via an implant or device. In some embodiments, the device is a biodegradable implant for treating a disease or condition described herein.

[0360] The volume of the composition administered by the methods described herein will also depend on factors such as the mode of administration, the number of corneal endothelial cells, the age of the patient, and the type and severity of the disease being treated.

[0361] CECs, e.g., mature CECs, are typically delivered to a patient once. CECs, e.g., mature CECs, may be delivered more than once throughout the patient's life. In some embodiments, the patient is also administered immunosuppressive therapy before, simultaneously with, or after administration of CECs, e.g., mature CECs. Immunosuppressive therapy may be required throughout the patient's life or for a shorter period of time. Examples of immunosuppressive therapies include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) polyclonal antibody, antithymocyte globulin (ATG) polyclonal antibody, azathioprine, BASILIXIMAB® (anti-IL-2Ra receptor antibody), cyclosporine (cyclosporine A), DACLIZUMAB® (anti-IL-2Ra receptor antibody), everolimus, mycophenolic acid, RITUX1MAB® (anti-CD20 antibody), sirolimus, tacrolimus (Prograf™), and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

[0362] In some embodiments, the CECs of the present invention, such as mature CECs, are formulated with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. For example, CECs may be administered alone or as a component of a pharmaceutical formulation. CECs, such as mature CECs, may be formulated for administration in any convenient means for use in human medicine. In some embodiments, pharmaceutical compositions suitable for parenteral administration may include CECs, such as mature CECs, in combination with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable sterile isotonic aqueous or non-aqueous solutions, dispersions, suspensions, or emulsions, or sterile powders that may be reconstituted immediately before use into sterile injectable solutions or dispersions, which may include antioxidants, buffers, bacteriostatic agents, solutes that make the formulation isotonic with the intended recipient's blood, or suspending or thickening agents. Examples of suitable aqueous and non-aqueous carriers that may be used in the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention include water, ethanol, polyols (such as glycerol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and the like), and suitable mixtures thereof. The proper fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the use of coating materials, such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the required particle size in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants.

[0363] V.Kit Also provided herein is a product or kit that includes a population of CECs, such as mature CECs, such as a population of mature CECs and / or a pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure. The product or kit can further include a package insert that includes instructions for using the population of corneal endothelial cells or pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, for example, to treat or delay the progression of any disease disclosed herein. The product or kit may further include other materials that are desirable from a commercial and user standpoint, including other buffers, diluents, fillers, needles, syringes, and package inserts with instructions for use. In some embodiments, the product further includes one or more of another agent (e.g., chemotherapeutic agent). The corneal endothelial cells of the present invention may be administered with an agent that promotes cell attachment, engraftment, and / or survival. The CECs of the present invention, such as mature CECs, may be administered with a ROCK inhibitor, such as Y27632, and an extracellular matrix protein, such as fibronectin. The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered with one or more anti-apoptotic agents, anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, and extracellular matrix proteins (e.g., fibronectin, laminin, truncated E8 fragments of laminin (e.g., iMatrix 511), collagen (types I, II, III, IV, VIII, etc.), and the like. The CECs of the present invention, e.g., mature CECs, may be administered in combination with magnetic beads or nanoparticles to facilitate delivery of the CECs, e.g., mature CECs. Suitable containers for the one or more agents include, for example, bottles, vials, bags, and syringes.

[0364] All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting.

[0365] example Example 1: Materials and Methods Lentivirus generation: pReceiver-Lv156 (GeneCopoeia) was used as a lentiviral vector to express the gene of interest under the EF1α promoter. Lentiviral particles were produced using a series of products developed by TakaraBio (www.takarabio.com). Virus packaging was performed using a fourth generation lentiviral packaging system consisting of Lenti-X 293T cells (Takarabio, Cat. No. 632180) and Lenti-X Packaging Single Shots (Takarabio, Cat. No. 631275 & 631276). Virus concentration and quantity were determined using Lenti-X™ Concentrator (Takarabio, Cat. No. 631231 & 631232) and Lenti-X qRT-PCR titration kit (Takarabio, Cat. No. 631235), respectively. Lenti-X™ Concentrator is a reagent that is mixed with the virus to create a concentrated virus stock after centrifugation, and then the Lenti-X qRT-PCR kit is used to determine the actual lentiviral genome copy number (amount) and then calculate the concentration. All procedures were performed using the protocol recommended by the manufacturer. The virus was aliquoted and stored at -80°C until use.

[0366] Stem cell culture: Human iPSCs were maintained in StemFit Basic03 medium (Ajinomoto) on 6-well plates coated with iMatrix 511 (Takara T304). Cells were cultured under 20% O2 / 5% CO2 conditions and passaged every 4–7 days by dissociating into single cells with TrypLE-Select enzyme (1×) (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 12563011).

[0367] Corneal endothelial cell (CEC) differentiation protocol: Corneal endotheli...

Claims

1. A method for producing corneal endothelial cells, comprising increasing expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells, thereby producing corneal endothelial cells.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the corneal endothelial cells are mature corneal endothelial cells.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PITX2 is at least one isoform of PITX2 selected from the group consisting of PITX2, isoform 1, PITX2, isoform 2, PITX2, isoform 3, PITX2, isoform 4, and PITX2, isoform 5.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one additional transcription factor comprises FOXC1.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional transcription factor comprises TFAP2B.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, wherein TFAP2B is at least one isoform of TFAP2B selected from the group consisting of TFAP2B, isoform 1, and TFAP2B, isoform 2.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional transcription factor comprises LMX1B.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 7, wherein the LMX1B is at least one isoform of LMX1B selected from the group consisting of LMX1B, isoform 1, LMX1B, isoform 2, and LMX1B, isoform 3.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional transcription factor comprises POU6F2.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 9, wherein POU6F2 is at least one isoform of POU6F2 selected from the group consisting of POU6F2, isoform 1, and POU6F2, isoform 2.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9, further comprising increasing expression of one or more transcription factors selected from the group consisting of ATF4, ATMIN, BHLHE40, CEBPD, CSRNP1, DRAP1, EGR1, ELF2, EMX2, ESRRA, ETS2, FOS, FOSB, FOSL2, GTF3A, HIF1A, JUN, JUN B, JUN D, KLF10, KLF9, MBD3, NFE2L1, NME2, NR1D1, NR4A1, PA2G4, POU3F3, RELA, TBX2, TFDP1, TSC22D1, USF2, YBX1, ZNF207, ZNF358, and ZNF395 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7 and 9, wherein the corneal endothelial precursor cells comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9, wherein increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells comprises transducing corneal endothelial progenitor cells with a viral vector encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9, wherein increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor in a corneal endothelial progenitor cell comprises transfecting the corneal endothelial progenitor cell with an expression vector encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor.

15. Corneal endothelial progenitor cells, (i) cultured for at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 days before increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor; and / or (ii) after increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor, the corneal endothelial progenitor cells are cultured for at least 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30 days; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7 and 9.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9, wherein increasing the expression of PITX2 comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1,000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to the endogenous expression level of PITX2 in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9, wherein increasing the expression of the at least one additional transcription factor comprises an increase of at least 0.1-fold, 0.2-fold, 0.5-fold, 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 50-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 500-fold, 1000-fold, or 10,000-fold compared to an endogenous expression level of the at least one additional transcription factor in corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

18. Corneal endothelial cells (i) exhibiting increased expression of PITX2 and one or more markers selected from the group consisting of SLC4A11, FOXC1, COL8A1, COL8A2, TFAP2B, LMX1B and MRGPRX3, compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells; and / or (ii) one or more of increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology compared to corneal endothelial progenitor cells, optionally wherein the increased pump function, enhanced formation of tight junctions, increased resistance to oxidative stress, and increased polygonal morphology include an increase of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25%; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7 and 9.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 7 and 9, wherein the corneal endothelial progenitor cells are derived in vitro from pluripotent stem cells.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the pluripotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells.

21. 2. The method of claim 1, comprising culturing pluripotent stem cells and inducing the formation of corneal endothelial progenitor cells, wherein the pluripotent stem cells further comprise an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2.

22. The method according to claim 21, comprising culturing the pluripotent stem cells with at least one inhibitor of Small / Mothers Against Decapentaplegic (SMAD) protein signaling to induce differentiation of the pluripotent stem cells into corneal endothelial progenitor cells.

23. A population of corneal endothelial cells comprising an increased expression level of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2 compared to an endogenous expression level of the transcription factors, PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2, wherein the increased expression level comprises exogenous expression of PITX2 and the at least one additional transcription factor.

24. A pluripotent stem cell or a corneal endothelial cell comprising an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2.

25. A method for producing corneal endothelial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, comprising: (a) culturing pluripotent stem cells and inducing the formation of neural crest stem cells and / or corneal endothelial progenitor cells, wherein the pluripotent stem cells contain an expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor selected from the group consisting of FOXC1, TFAP2B, LMX1B and POU6F2; and (b) increasing the expression of PITX2 and at least one additional transcription factor from the expression vector in neural crest stem cells and / or corneal endothelial progenitor cells to generate corneal endothelial cells. The method comprising:

Images