Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare blood stem cells that can give rise to all the different cells of the entire blood system and sustain the adult needs. Our research focuses on understanding how these rare cells first develop in the growing embryo and understand the environment that keeps them alive and preserves their functionality into adulthood.
Impact
Haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplant is a life saving therapy for people with blood cancers or bone marrow failure. We can generate patient-specific HSC -ike cells in the laboratory which can greatly help with donor shortage and mismatch. We are exploring how these cells compare to those collected from a donor and if they could serve as an alternate source of blood stem cells for transplants.
reNEW research
reNEW Melbourne’s PIs Andrew Elefanty and Elizabeth Ng and their teams have developed a protocol which yields blood stem cell-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells.
Image description
In this image, pink blood cells are being born from the surface of the green parent orgaoid body. Only specialised areas of the green organoid body turn pink, allowing blood cells to develop.
Credits
Ritika Saxena, Andrew Elefanty’s lab, MCRI, reNEW Melbourne.