Blood stem cells are rare cells in the embryo give rise to all blood cell types, including a reserve for lifelong use in the bone marrow. The growing embryo finely balances this process, as overproduction could lead to cancer and underproduction to bone marrow failure. Our goal is to model embryonic blood formation in the lab so we can better study how blood stem cells are made and understand how an imbalance in production leads to blood disorders.
Impact
Many people who need a stem cell transplant for treatment of a blood disorder are unable to find a perfectly matched donor. Generation of blood stem cells in the lab could serve as an alternate source. However, like the embryo, these cells must be able to help the recipient in balancing the production needs and live in the bone marrow for a long time. Understanding embryonic blood stem cell formation can help us generate similar cells in the lab that mimic their function.
reNEW research
Ng and Elefanty groups have developed a protocol using used human donor derived pluripotent stem cell to generate blood stem cells in the lab. These can live in mice bone marrow and produce various donor blood cell types. We are working to refine this method further. Our vision is to use a small starting material from the prospective recipient, resulting in a perfectly matched supply of blood stem cells.
Image description
Blood organoids. Pluripotent stem cells form clusters (organoids) that generate blood cells. Magenta and green indicate blood forming potential, while blue marks all areas. The Yin-Yang formation symbolizes the balance in blood production.
Credits
Ritika Saxena, Elefanty and Ng labs, reNEW Melbourne.
