Method for inducing osteogenic differentiation

A method for screening for a therapeutic drug for a bone disease, the method comprising the following steps of:

• (I) culturing pluripotent stem cells under feeder-free conditions,
• (II) culturing the cells in a mixed culture medium of an osteogenic induction medium and a pluripotent stem cell medium, the mixed culture medium containing a ROCK inhibitor and a retinoic acid receptor α or β agonist,
• (III) culturing the cells in an osteogenic induction medium containing the retinoic acid receptor α or β agonist and a test substance,
• (IV) measuring at least one selected from the amount of calcified nodule formation, the amount of calcium salt deposition, the production or secretion level of type I collagen, and the expression level of an osteogenic differentiation-related gene, and
• (V) comparing a measured value with that of the cells cultured in an osteogenic induction medium free of the test substance to determine whether the test substance is capable of enhancing osteogenic differentiation capacity of the cells,
• wherein the method does not comprise a step of forming embryoid bodies.