Bone marrow transplant is a process that assists in curing numerous blood-related disorders such as lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. The main reason behind suggesting bone marrow transplant is the lack of blood-forming cells in human body. In addition, it is also effective treatment option to prolong the cancer patients’ life. However, the success rate of bone marrow transplant majorly depends on the quality of blood-forming stem cells. Researchers have developed a new technique to improve the quality of these cells. This research holds the potential to advance the success rates of bone marrow transplants.
New Approach to Improve Efficiency
Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new approach that helps in enhancing the ability of blood-forming cells. Reportedly, this research will have a huge impact on the future bone marrow transplants. Dr. Saghi Ghaffari is the lead researcher of this study. While explaining the process, she stated, “Once the hematopoietic stem cells are cultured in a dish, they lose their potential. This is one key factor that constrains their capability to be propagated easily in the laboratory.” She added that repressing the lysosomal activity of stem cells can advance their potency to a great extent.
Moreover, the research found that glycolysis inhibition also aids in enhancing the potential of hematopoietic stem cells. The results of this research are open for access in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Dr. Ghaffari stated, “Our approach is different from others. Rather than the quantity, we have focused on quality. As we restrain the lysosomal activity, we create lesser number of blood-forming stem cells for the process of bone marrow transplantation. However, they work much better and are of high quality as we have preserved and improved their potency.”