ALDH br Hematopoietic Progenitors Promote Short-Term Engraftment In Experimental Models For Cord Blood Transplantation

Abstract

We previously developed methods to purify human hematopoietic progenitors based on their high expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDHbr cells), which enrich both short- and long-term SCID-repopulating cells. One clinical trial now suggests that augmenting a conventional cord blood transplant (CBT) with ALDHbr cells accelerates both neutrophil and platelet engraftment. We now describe two experimental models for this clinical regimen, performed in different strains of NOD/SCID mice. Each study included three cohorts: (1) mice transplanted with 4,000 purified ALDHbr cells; (2) mice transplanted with total CB at a dose that contained 4,000 ALDHbr cells; and, (3) mice that first received the same dose of unmanipulated CB and, after 4hours, the ALDHbr cells.