[Long-term cultivation of human bone marrow and its importance for clinical practice]

In vitro analysis of early steps in hemopoiesis has become feasible by culture systems allowing long-term maintenance and proliferation of self-renewing pluripotent stem cells. In this long-term bone marrow culture system, hemopoietic stem cells can be maintained for weeks due to the inductive capacity of a marrow-derived stromal microenvironment. In order to be able to analyze multiple samples, we have miniaturized the culture system. Studies were performed on the proliferative potential of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells after intensive polychemotherapy of patients with either lymphoma or leukemia. Moreover, in long-term bone marrow cultures, the effects of cytokines on the pluripotent stem cell compartment were studied.