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Lessons from Biology: Engineering Design Considerations for Modeling Human Hematopoiesis

  • Stem Cell Switches and Regulators (K Hirschi and N Genet, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Adult human hematopoiesis resides in the bone marrow (BM), which is comprised of multiple niches capable of supporting hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), as well as their downstream lineages. In maintaining the blood-forming cells of the body, the BM microenvironment is spatially regulated by a number of stromal support cells to maintain HSPCs and promote their differentiation in response to exogenous stimuli (e.g., injury, regeneration, disease). Although mouse models are the gold standard for studying hematopoietic biology, in vitro models are gaining acceptance in studies of human-centered, patient-specific functions of blood and immune progenitors.

Recent Findings

Over the past 5–10 years, model systems of the BM, including ossicles, engineered tissues, and organs-on-a-chip, have emerged as new vehicles to study both healthy and malignant hematopoiesis.

Summary

In this review, we describe progress in bioengineered tools for studying the BM, as well as design considerations necessary for developing more advanced systems for precision medicine and translational applications.

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      Acknowledgements

      Figures were created in part with Biorender.com.

      Funding

      This study was financially supported by NIH (grants EB025765, EB027062, CA249799), NSF (Graduate Research Fellowship DGE1644869), NYSTEM (grant C32606GG), NASA (RAD0104), TRISH (NNX16A069A), Columbia 2020 SEAS-HICCC Pilot Grant, and Blavatnik Foundation.

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      Authors and Affiliations

      1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

        Daniel Naveed Tavakol, Jocelyn Chen & Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

      2. Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

        Nicholas W. Chavkin, Tara N. Tavakol & Karen K. Hirschi

      3. Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

        Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

      4. College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

        Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

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      1. Daniel Naveed Tavakol
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      Correspondence to Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.

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      Tavakol, D.N., Chen, J., Chavkin, N.W. et al. Lessons from Biology: Engineering Design Considerations for Modeling Human Hematopoiesis. Curr Stem Cell Rep 7, 174–184 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40778-021-00195-5

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