Expansion of Human Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells on Decellularized Matrix Scaffolds

• Published in: Current protocols in stem cell biology Vol. 36; p. 1C.15.1
• Main Authors: Tiwari, Abhilasha, Tursky, Melinda L, Nekkanti, Lakshmi P, Jenkin, Graham, Kirkland, Mark A, Pande, Gopal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2016
• Subjects: Cell Culture Techniques - methods; Cell Proliferation; Extracellular Matrix - chemistry; Fetal Blood - cytology; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - cytology; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - metabolism; Humans; Stem Cell Niche; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; decellularized biological scaffold; hematopoietic niche; umbilical cord blood; stem cell expansion; extracellular matrix
• ISSN: 1938-8969
• DOI: 10.1002/9780470151808.sc01c15s36

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is one of the richest sources for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), with more than 3000 transplantations performed each year for the treatment of leukemia and other bone marrow, immunological, and hereditary diseases. However, transplantation of single cord blood units is mostly restricted to children, due to the limited number of HSPC per unit. This unit develops a method to increase the number of HSPCs in laboratory conditions by using cell-free matrices from bone marrow cells that mimic 'human-body-niche-like' conditions as biological scaffolds to support the ex vivo expansion of HSPCs. In this unit, we describe protocols for the isolation and characterization of HSPCs from UCB and their serum-free expansion on decellularized matrices. This method may also help to provide understanding of the biochemical organization of hematopoietic niches and lead to suggestions regarding the design of tissue engineering-based biomimetic scaffolds for HSPC expansion for clinical applications.