Mouse Haematopoietic Stem Cell niche
Stem cell maintenance is vital for organ homeostasis and longevity. Haemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the most primitive cells in the haemopoietic system and reside in specialised niches in the bone marrow. The bone marrow becomes the main site for HSC maintenance and blood production after birth. Ageing is correlated to an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases due to failings in the adaptive and innate immune systems, an increased susceptibility to autoimmune conditions and anaemia. The majority of HSC and HSC niche research, particularly research focussed on ageing, is carried out in mice. There is a lack of systematic analysis of human HSCs in ageing studies. In this project we are characterizing human samples of blood and bone marrow derived stem cells from young and aged donors to provide novel insights into changes of the niche during ageing.
