Blood Stem Cells
Research > Blood Stem Cells
Blood stem cells represent one of the best characterized systems in stem cell biology and have a history stretching back over 50 years. The volume of new cells made within the bone marrow during an adult's lifetime and accessibility of these cells for analysis have led to many exciting findings and a number of clinical therapies for blood-related diseases such as leukemia.
Yet there is still no substitute for blood donors as the proliferation of blood stem cells in the culture dish has been incredibly difficult to achieve.
The advent of modern stem cell biology may change this scenario.
A number of UW faculty members are working toward understanding how blood cells arise from more primitive stem cells in culture and during development. The ability to generate platelets, red blood cells and other blood components from embryonic stem cells might also help alleviate blood bank shortages and save the lives of more accident victims in addition to treating diseases of the blood.
Faculty: Emery Bresnick, Karen Downs, Peiman Hematti, Igor Slukvin, Jing Zhang