Engraftment of human cord blood-derived stem cells in preimmune ovine fetuses after ultrasound-guided in utero transplantation - 28/08/11
Abstract |
Objective |
The fetal sheep in utero transplantation model has developed into an important tool to study the efficacy of human in utero stem cell transplantation and gene therapy because of similarities in both the scale and development of immunocompetence relative to gestational age. The aim of this study was to determine whether human stem cells can be successfully transplanted to the first-trimester ovine fetus by use of a newly developed minimally invasive technique.
Study design |
Human cord blood–derived, CD34+-enriched stem cells were injected into the peritoneal cavity of 45- to 60-day-old ovine fetuses by using ultrasound-guided transabdominal percutaneous needle puncture. Engraftment was determined 1 to 3 months after birth by flow cytometry with use of human-specific anti-CD45 antibodies.
Results |
In contrast to previous studies that used surgical techniques, we observed a fetal loss rate of 24%, significantly below previous values and only marginally higher than natural loss. Successful human cell engraftment was achieved in 18% of lambs available for analysis. Engraftment levels of human cells in bone marrow of the recipient were up to 0.8% of total nucleated cells.
Conclusion |
Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transplantation of stem cells to fetal sheep in the first trimester is feasible. Although we were unable to observe a significant improvement in the level of engraftment of human cells in sheep, the decreased fetal loss rate associated with this technique allows greater use for further studies that use this model of in utero transplantation.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Stem cells, cord blood, in utero transplantation
Plan
Supported by the Swiss National Fund NFP46 grant No. 4046-058662/1. The Basel Institute for Immunology was founded and supported by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Presented at the Twenty-Third Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, San Francisco, Calif, February 3-8, 2003. |
Vol 189 - N° 3
P. 698-701 - septembre 2003 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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