New Podcast Episode. Movin’ On Out: Mobilizing HSCs from the Bone Marrow

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) normally reside in the bone marrow niche but can traffic across the bone marrow endothelium into the bloodstream to populate different niches. This process of HSC mobilization from the bone marrow to the blood, is an increasingly favored procedure to obtain HSCs for hematopoietic cell transplantation therapy. Though mobilization is robust in many donors due to years of refined protocols and drug combinations, the process remains difficult or contraindicated among substantial patient subgroups. Using the current standard of care, up to 30% of patients fail to mobilize HSCs and some patients cannot tolerate the current mobilization procedures. Today’s guests will discuss their research using vascular endothelial growth factor, known as VEGF, as an alternative method of mobilization, the mechanisms underlying it, and the implications for improving patient outcomes.

Guests

• Stephanie Smith-Berdan, MS, Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular, Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

• Camilla Forsberg, PhD, Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

Supporting Content
Paper link: Vascular endothelial growth factor-induced vascular permeability results in drastic and reversible hematopoietic stem cell mobilization, Stem Cell Reports