Developing of a measure of blood stem cells generated in the lab

About the project:

Making blood stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells would be beneficial for patients with leukaemia or bone marrow failure who develop graft versus host disease as they lack an ideal donor. We can now make blood stem cells in the laboratory with the ultimate goal of being able to provide patients with better treatments for blood diseases.

In current practice, banked blood cells harvested from donors must pass a series of tests before being released for clinical use. Similarly, blood stem cells made in the laboratory would require a routine and accurate measurement of functional ability to assess their fitness for purpose. The aim of this project is to develop a predictive in vitro assay for the presence of blood stem cells (iHSCs) in blood generated from pluripotent stem cells in the laboratory.

Lead researchers: Associate Professor Elizabeth Ng & Professor Andrew Elefanty

Tissue of interest: Blood

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