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An Alternative to Bone Marrow Donation |
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MONDAY, March 29 (HealthDayNews) -- A new method to generate bone marrow and blood cells from embryonic stem cells may provide an alternative to bone marrow donation, says a study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
The Rockefeller University study found this technique was effective even in mice that were not genetic matches. If this also proves to be true in humans, this new method could eliminate the need to find genetically matched human bone marrow donors for people with leukemia, immune deficiencies and autoimmune diseases.
Embryonic stem cells have the potential to grow into many different cell types. The Rockefeller scientists identified the most effective mix of growth factors to get mouse ES cells to develop into bone marrow and blood precursor cells in culture.
The scientists also developed a way to select the best of these cells from the cultures. These selected cells were injected into the bone marrow of mice that had been depleted of their own bone marrow cells.
The injection of these new cells resulted in restoration of blood cells in the mice, including immune system cells, which are normally produced in the bone marrow. Even when they were not genetically matched, the injected cells were not rejected by the mice.
More information
The National Marrow Donor Program has more about bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants.
(SOURCE: Rockefeller University, news release, March 26, 2004)
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