The University of Minnesota is one of the nation's leaders in the field of stem cell research. They are committed to pursuing the frontiers of stem cell and gene therapy research.
For the first time a group of genes that impact the development and function of blood stem cells was identified by University researchers. A discovery that brings researchers a step closer to harnessing the power of stem cells for disease treatments.
Every day, blood stem cells divide and differentiate to generate approximately 200 billion new blood cells in the bone marrow of adults. To maintain their numbers over time, blood stem cells also can divide and give rise to new blood stem cells through a process called self-renewal. What was not fully understood is which genes control the self-renewal and differentiation processes, and how these genes could be used to influence, or regulate, these processes.
"If we can find a way to coax blood stem cells to self-renew and thus expand in the laboratory, doctors will have more options in treating diseases such as blood disorders, leukemias, and lymphomas," said Catherine Verfaillie, M.D., director of the University's Stem Cell Institute.
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University of Minnesota Physicians Catherine Verfaillie, M.D., is a professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation of the University of Minnesota Medical School and the director of the University's Stem Cell Institute. |
Read more about this new discovery in the full news release from the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, or for more information visit the University's Stem Cell Institute.
