Technology Description
Researchers in Chris Sturgeon’s lab at Washington University have developed a protocol for definitive differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells that can be used to develop replacement blood products. This protocol involves a sequential, time-sensitive manipulation of BMP4, bFGF, WNT, Activin/Nodal and retinoic acid (RA) signaling.
The differentiation protocol is highly specific; for instance, cells treated with RA one or two days late will lack the hematopoietic potential while still expressing the same surface markers. However, it enables the production in vitro of replacement blood products and off-the-shelf immunotherapies.
Stage of Research
The researchers have established an in vitro differentiation protocol that results in definitive hematopoietic progenitor cells capable of hematopoiesis. This protocol has then been used to differentiate tissue resident macrophages for further study.
Publications
- Dege C, Sturgeon CM. (2017). Directed differentiation of primitive and definitive hematopoietic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 129: 55196.
- Bredemeyer AL, Amrute JM, Koenig AL, Idol RA, … Lavine KJ. (2022). Derivation of extra-embryonic and intra-embryonic macrophage lineages from human pluripotent stem cells. Development, 200016.
Applications
- Replacement blood products
- Off-the-shelf immunotherapy
Key Advantages
- Produces progenitor cells capable of hematopoiesis
- Enables synthesis of blood products from pluripotent stem cells
Patents: US20220025330
Related Web Links: Sturgeon Profile
