Researchers identify protein that governs human blood stem cell self-renewal

UCLA scientists have discovered a link between a protein and the ability of human blood stem cells to self-renew. In astudy published today in the journal Nature, the team reports that activating the protein causes blood stem cells to self-renew at least twelvefold in laboratory conditions.Multiplying blood stem cells in conditions outside the human body could greatly improve treatment options for blood cancers like leukemia and for many inherited blood diseases.Dr. Hanna Mikkola, a member of the  Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and senior author of the study, has studied blood stem cells for more than 20 years.“Although we’ve learned a lot about the biology of these cells over the years, one key challenge has remained: making human blood stem cells self-renew in the lab,” she said. “We have to overcome this obstacle to move the field forward.”Blood stem cells, also known as hematopoietic stem cells, are found in the bone marrow, where they self-renew as well as differentiate to create all types of blood cells.  Bone marrow transplants have been used for decades to treat people with some diseases of the blood or immune system. However, bone marrow transplants have significant limitations: Finding a compatible bone marrow donor is not always possible, the patient’s immune system may reject the foreign ce lls, and the number of transplanted stem cells may not be enough to successfully treat the disease.When bloo...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news