Two new routes to make blood: Hematopoietic specification from pluripotent cell lines vs. reprogramming of somatic cells.
Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to treat hematological disorders is routinely used in the clinic. However, HSC therapy is hindered by the requirement of finding HLA-matched donors, as well as attaining sufficient numbers of long-term HSCs in the graft. Therefore, ex vivo expansion of transplantable HSC remains one of the "holy grails" of hematology. Without the ability to mainta