Scientists from the University of Glasgow have developed the first bioengineered bone marrow model that supports human stem cells, which are crucial for bone marrow transplants and in vitro study work.
Published in Nature Communications, the new model replicates the key aspects of the human bone marrow microenvironment to support rare long-term haematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs).
Estimated to cause more than 300,000 deaths worldwide every year, leukaemia is a type of blood cancer that affects the white blood cells in the bone marrow, the spongy tissue found inside some bones, where the body makes blood cells.
LT-HSCs are a type of cell that can replenish the blood cells after treatment for blood cancers, such as leukaemia. However, due to culturing challenges, researchers often rely on non-human animal models to test drugs that can have effects on blood cell production and target blood diseases.
“Currently used animal models are poor predictors of drug outcomes, and many of the blood disease treatments on offer – such as mRNA drugs and human-specific small molecules – don’t test well in animal models,” explained Matt Dalby, professor of cell engineering and director, innovation, engagement and enterprise, School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow.
Supported by the UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as part of its major investment into leukaemia research in the UK, scientists cultured LT-HSCs out of the body in jelly-like gels, demonstrating that gene editing LT-HSCs from the body is possible.
The findings offer a potential new way to test new drugs or techniques for treating blood disorders, including sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects more than 20 million people globally, and blood cancers, while reducing the reliance on animal models.
Dr Hannah Donnelly, the research fellow who led the study, University of Glasgow, commented: “Here, we show that by using gels engineered to mimic the environment where they reside in the bone marrow, we can support and study [LT-HSCs] in the lab, ultimately harnessing their full clinical potential.”

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1091669_en.html