Derivation of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment from human embryonic stem cell lines

Since the derivation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines, both experimental and clinical hematology have generated rising interest in differentiating functional hematopoietic progenitors from these pluripotent cell lines. Although the ability to generate primitive hematopoietic cells with in vivo reconstitution function has direct clinical application, success of this approach awaits a more in-depth understanding of factor and mechanisms that govern specification of pluripotent hESCs to hematopoietic lineage specification. Here, we highlight some of our laboratory's recent efforts in this area, in the hopes of providing insights toward this complex yet important area of biomedical research.