Two blood stem cell studies could change the future of medicine

The independent new findings by biomedical engineers and medical researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney in the creation of embryonic blood stem cells may one day eliminate the need for

These achievements are part of regenerative medicine's move towards the use of

Induced pluripotent stem cells are pluripotent stem cells that can be produced directly from somatic cells

Researchers at the University of New South Wales recently completed two studies in this area that have revealed not only how precursors of blood stem cells occur in animals and humans, but also how they are artificially induced

On September 13, 2022, scientists from the University of New South Wales' School of Biomedical Engineering published a study

In another article recently published in Nature Cell Biology, researchers at the University of New South Wales' School of Medicine and Health revealed the identity

Both studies are important steps

Simulates the heart

In the study, detailed in Cell Reports, first author Dr.

For decades, biomedical engineers have been trying to make blood stem cells in lab dishes to address the shortage of donor blood stem cells

These systems promote the development of precursor blood stem cells, which can differentiate into various blood components – white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and others

The device not only creates blood stem cell precursors, which in turn produce differentiated blood cells, but also tissue cells in the embryonic heart environment, which is essential

Surprisingly, when blood stem cells form in embryos, they form on the walls of the main blood vessel called the aorta

The researchers are cautiously optimistic about their achievements in simulating the heart condition of embryos with mechanical devices

"Blood stem cells for transplantation require donors with the same tissue type as patients," said

Dr Li added: "We are using bioreactors to scale up the production of

The mystery is solved

At the same time, it works

In a study of mice, the researchers looked for mechanisms
by which mammals naturally utilize vascular endothelial cells to make blood stem cells.

"We already know that this process occurs in mammalian embryos, where endothelial cells located in the aorta are transformed into blood cells," Professor Pimanda said
.
"But until now, the identity of the cells that regulate this process has been a mystery
.
"

Their paper describes how they solved the puzzle by identifying cells in embryos that can convert embryonic and adult epithelial cells into blood cells
.
These cells, known as "Mesp1-derived PDGFRA+ stromal cells," are located below the aorta and surround the aorta
only within a very narrow window during embryonic development.

Dr.
Chandrakanthan said knowing the identity of these cells provides medical researchers with clues about how adult mammalian endothelial cells are triggered to produce blood stem cells — something they wouldn't
normally be able to do.

"Our study shows that when embryonic or adult endothelial cells are mixed with 'PDGFRA+ stromal cells derived from Mesp1,' they begin to make blood stem cells," he said
.

While more research is needed before it can be translated into clinical practice — including confirming results in human cells — the discovery could provide a potentially new tool
for generating transplantable hematopoietic cells.

"Using your own cells to produce blood stem cells can eliminate the need
for donor blood transfusions or stem cell transplants.
Unraveling the mechanisms used by nature brings us one step closer to achieving this," said
Professor Pimanda.

“Mimicry of embryonic circulation enhances the hoxa hemogenic niche and human blood development” by Jingjing Li, Osmond Lao, Freya F.
Bruveris, Liyuan Wang, Kajal Chaudry, Ziqi Yang, Nona Farbehi, Elizabeth S.
Ng, Edouard G.
Stanley, Richard P.
Harvey, Andrew G.
Elefanty and Robert E.
Nordon, 13 September 2022, Cell Reports.

“Mesoderm-derived PDGFRA⁺ cells regulate the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells in the dorsal aorta” by Vashe Chandrakanthan, Prunella Rorimpandey, Fabio Zanini, Diego Chacon , Jake Olivier, Swapna Joshi, Young Chan Kang, Kathy Knezevic, Yizhou Huang, Qiao Qiao, Rema A.
Oliver, Ashwin Unnikrishnan, Daniel R.
Carter, Brendan Lee, Chris Brownlee, Carl Power, Robert Brink, Simon Mendez-Ferrer, Grigori Enikolopov, William Walsh, Berthold G?ttgens, Samir Taoudi, Dominik Beck and John E.
Pimanda, 28 July 2022, Nature Cell Biology.