The Important Role of FLT3-L in Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells following Co-Culture with Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Objective: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transplantation using umbilical cord blood (UCB) has improved during the last decade. Because of cell limitations, several studies focused on the ex vivo expansion of HSCs. Numerous investigations were performed to introduce the best cytokine cocktails for HSC expansion The majority used the Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3-L) as a critical component.

The High Yield Expansion and Megakaryocytic Differentiation of Human Umbilical Cord Blood CD133(+) Cells.

Objective: Despite of many benefits, umbilical cord blood (UCB) hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is associated with low number of stem cells and slow engraftment; in particular of platelets. So, expanded HSCs and co-transfusion of megakaryocyte (MK) progenitor cells can shorten this period. In this study, we evaluated the cytokine conditions for maximum expansion and MK differentiation of CD133(+) HSCs.