Can bone marrow be quickly revived after destruction by leukemia treatment?
A key compound resupplies bone marrow with fast-acting stem cells that can more quickly rekindle blood cell production, according to a study published online today in the journal Blood. While the study was in mice, in the study authors say it has the potential to increase survival among patients with life-threatening blood cell shortages. Thanks to stem cells, humans develop from one cell into a complex being with as many as 400 cell types. As the fetus develops, successive generations of stem cells specialize (differentiate), with each round becoming more specific until they become the end-stage functional cells of the body. Some human tissues, including bone marrow, keep a stem cell pool on reserve into adulthood, ready to differentiate into replacement parts when called upon. For instance, the marrow houses the hematopoietic system that turns stem cells into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. In leukemia patients, cancer cells have invaded the bone marrow and physicia
