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Artificial Niches: Biomimetic Materials for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Culture
Author(s) -
LeeThedieck Cornelia,
Spatz Joachim P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201200219
Subject(s) - haematopoiesis , stem cell , niche , hematopoietic stem cell , nanotechnology , biology , computational biology , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are indispensable for the treatment of patients with hematological disorders such as leukemia. However, the amount of available transplantable HSCs is limited. Therefore, new approaches to multiply HSCs in the laboratory are needed. Promising biomimetic technologies for HSC expansion are currently developed. This feature article gives an insight into the significance of this approach and introduces the essential building blocks (cells, matrix, and scaffolds) of biomimetic materials. Some recent strategies are highlighted and the challenges and possible applications of such materials are discussed.