Tracking HSCs and their progeny using whole genome sequencing

Despite decades of progress in our understanding of hematopoiesis through the study of animal models and transplantation in humans, investigating physiological human hematopoiesis directly has remained challenging. Questions on the clonal structure of the human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool, such as “how many HSCs are there?” and “do all HSC clones actively produce all blood cell types in equal proportions?” have remained open. These questions have inherent value for understanding normal human physiology, but also directly inform our comprehension of the process by which the system is s ubverted to drive diseases of the blood, in particular blood cancers and bone marrow failure syndromes.
Source: Experimental Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research