This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Umbilical cord blood is an alternative source for stem cells in patients undergoing myeloablative therapies and requiring hematopoietic reconstitution. It is particularly attractive when considering that there is a greater than 85% chance that an HLA-matched cord blood unit can be found for patients in one of the cord blood banks world-wide, whereas chances of finding a match from the National Donor Marrow Bank are ~25%. Unfortunately the number of stem cells contained in a cord blood unit is orders of magnitude less than can be harvested from an adult bone marrow. Consequently the times to neutrophil and platelet independence in patients following a cord blood transplantation are 3-4 times greater compared to a transplantation performed with a bone marrow product. The goal of this study is to isolate stem cells from umbilical cord blood and to devise culture conditions that will allow the stem cell fraction to expand with a corresponding expansion of the ability to reconstitute and maintain the hematopoietic system in vivo.
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