A microgel bone marrow model of mesenchymal stem cell paracrine signaling supporting hematopoietic stem cell retention.

ABSTRACT: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) housed within the bone marrow give rise to the full complement of blood and immune cells. Methods to expand HSCs ex vivo have traditionally relied on two-dimensional or liquid culture, but hydrogel approaches have been hypothesized to provide three-dimensional bone marrow-associated biophysical and biomolecular signals that may improve HSC expansion and maintenance ex vivo. Here, we describe a granular biomaterial approach to create a multicellular model of the bone marrow. By seeding HSCs amongst mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-laden hydrogel microspheres (microgels), we establish paracrine-mediated interactions between HSCs and hydrogel encapsulated MSCs. We provide support for the importance of microgel encapsulation for the emergence of nich

SUBMITTER: Thompson GB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12712932 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature