Often Overlooked Stem Cells Hold Hidden Powers for Blood Disease Treatments

KAUST researchers have enhanced the functionality of CD34-negative hematopoietic stem cells, making them a promising option for treating blood-related diseases. By improving their bone marrow homing abilities, these cells have shown potential to outperform current treatments, suggesting a breakthrough in stem cell transplantation efficiency and effectiveness. Credit: 2024 KAUST; Heno Hwang

“These cells could go a long way toward improving regenerative medicine,” says Jasmeen Merzaban, a biochemist at KAUST who led the research. However, this emphasis on CD34-positive HSCs has inadvertently sidelined a population of CD34-negative counterparts — cells mostly found in umbilical cord blood that, although limited in their migration abilities within the bloodstream, are thought to have greater regenerative capacity because of their more primitive developmental state.“There is deep untapped potential in using CD34-negative HSCs in transplantation,” says Asma Al-Amoodi, a postdoc in Merzaban’s lab.

After transplantation into mice, the souped-up CD34-negative cells quickly made their way into the bone marrow, where they continued to pump out new healthy blood and immune cells for months. The HSCs also showed elevated activity of genes involved in adhesion mechanisms that facilitate interactions and engraftment within the bone marrow environment.

Moreover, incorporating both CD34-positive and CD34-negative HSCs in transplantation procedures has the potential to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness, amplifying the therapeutic benefits of cord blood “since it would double the potential stem cell content,” she says.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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