Bioreactors for hematopoietic cell culture

Hematopoietic cell culture, or ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic cells, is an enabling technology with many potential applications in bone-marrow tra nsplantation, immunotherapy, gene therapy, and the production of blood prod ucts. Hematopoietic cultures are complex, with many different cell types at different stages of development present at any given point in time and nev er in steady state. Moreover, these cells interact strongly with each other and the environment through cytokines (growth factors) and adhesion molecu les, as well as through their metabolism. Despite these significant challen ges, cell products produced in bioreactors have shown promise in recent pha se 1 clinical trials.