Valproic acid enhances the engraftability of human umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells expanded under serum-free conditions.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor previously shown to promote the proliferation and self-renewal of CD34(+) hematopoietic cells. We tested the effect of VPA in conjunction with the selective amplification technology developed by Viacell Inc. Stem cells enriched from frozen cord blood were cultured for 7 d, subjected to reselection and grown in fresh medium for a further 7 d.

Enhanced in vivo homing of uncultured and selectively amplified cord blood CD34+ cells by cotransplantation with cord blood-derived unrestricted somatic stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells have been implicated as playing an important role in stem cell engraftment. Recently, a new pluripotent population of umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells, unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs), with intrinsic and directable potential to develop into mesodermal, endodermal, and ectodermal fates, has been identified. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of ex vivo expanded USSCs to influence the homing of UCB-derived CD34(+) cells into the marrow and spleen of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice.

Human umbilical cord matrix stem cells: preliminary characterization and effect of transplantation in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease.

The umbilical cord contains an inexhaustible, noncontroversial source of stem cells for therapy. In the U.S.