Researchers created a prototype of artificial bone marrow that could be used to create hematopoietic stem cells in a laboratory setting. The method could help treat conditions such as leukemia in the future.
Hematopoietic stem cells (located in a certain bone marrow "niche") are responsible for replacing blood cell populations in the body, a Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) news release reported. These stem cells can be used to treat blood conditions such as leukemia.
Usually medical professionals will replace affected bone marrow with tissue from a healthy donor. The problem with this system is that there are not enough donations suitable for each patient's individual needs.
A great solution to this problem would be to reproduce Hematopoietic stem cells; in the past this has been impossible because the cells can only retain their properties while in a bone marrow niche. This new technique could allow researchers to look create porous structures that have similar properties to bone marrow.
The "niche" is a "complex microscopic environment having specific properties," the news release reported; these pores have a spongy consistency. The pores host the Hematopoietic stem cells along with a number of other cells that are that engage in signal substance exchanges.
"The space among the cells has a matrix that ensures a certain stability and provides the cells with points to anchor. In the stem cell niche, the cells are also supplied with nutrients and oxygen," the news release reported.
The team was able to make an artificial replica of these crucial porous structures using synthetic polymers. The team was also able to include "protein building blocks" for the cells to anchor themselves to as well as the other cells commonly found in the niche in order to ensure substance exchange.
The researchers inserted hematopoietic stem cells into the artificial bone marrow and found they were able to reproduce while maintaining their usual properties.
"The newly developed artificial bone marrow that possesses major properties of natural bone marrow can now be used by the scientists to study the interactions between materials and stem cells in detail at the laboratory. This will help to find out how the behavior of stem cells can be influenced and controlled by synthetic materials. This knowledge might contribute to producing an artificial stem cell niche for the specific reproduction of stem cells and the treatment of leukemia in ten to fifteen years from now," the news release reported.
