Creating transplantable neutrophils from stem cells
About the project:
Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells, and play a significant role in killing invading pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses that can make us unwell.
Neutropenia, the loss of sufficient neutrophil numbers, is a major cause of serious illness or death for patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, CAR T therapy or intensive chemotherapy for cancer. It is difficult to obtain sufficient neutrophils from donated blood and donated neutrophils have a short shelf life.
To address this need, the team has generated a new method to create a high yield of functional neutrophils from human induced pluripotent stem cells, that could one day be used in neutrophil replacement therapies.
Lead researcher: Prof Andrew Elefanty
Investigators: A/Prof Elizabeth Ng, Prof Ed Stanley, Dr Jana Hagen, Prof Ton Rabelink
Tissue of interest: Immune system
Proudly in partnership with
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, is supported by a Novo Nordisk Foundation grant number NNF21CC0073729