An international research team, led by scientists from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center, has developed a groundbreaking method to activate adult stem cells from human bone marrow, enabling their expansion outside the body for use in regenerating bone marrow and constructing a new blood and immune system.
The key insight from this study is that activating stem cells via molecular programming, rather than relying on random cell transplants, significantly enhances the success of regenerative treatments. The next step is to test this method in clinical trials, with plans to extend this approach to regenerate other tissues, including those without existing adult stem cells, such as the heart.
Published in Nature Immunology (Transcriptional activation of regenerative hematopoiesis via microenvironmental sensing), this discovery could revolutionize transplant success rates for patients who have undergone intensive chemotherapy, suffer from genetic disorders, or need a bone marrow transplant but lack sufficient stem cells from a donor.
The study was spearheaded by Dr. Tomer Itkin from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the Sagol Center for Regenerative Medicine at Tel Aviv University, alongside the Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. The research involved contributions from leading global institutions such as Weill Cornell Medical College, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, the University of Toronto Medical Center, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
In their research, the team conducted a comprehensive analysis of RNA and epigenetic DNA sequencing and discovered a critical protein, the Fli-1 transcription factor, which activates stem cells of the blood and immune system. While stem cells from umbilical cord blood are naturally active, those from adult bone marrow remain dormant. By utilizing mRNA technology—similar to the technology used in COVID-19 vaccines—the researchers successfully “awakened” the adult stem cells, prompting controlled division without the risk of cancer. These activated cells were expanded on endothelial cells, which simulate the blood vessels in the bone marrow environment, showing an enhanced ability to restore blood production under transplant conditions.
Dr. Itkin stated, “This method greatly expands the pool of available stem cells for transplantation, without relying on rare bone marrow donors. It also offers new hope for treating patients with genetically corrected stem cells, such as those with thalassemia and hereditary anemia, as well as those who have undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and have insufficient stem cells for autologous transplants.”
