Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026
Isolation and Analysis of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from the Placenta
Published on: June 24, 2008
Preparation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from the human placenta
Catherine Robin1, Elaine Dzierzak
1Erasmus MC Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
This unit describes a protocol to isolate hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells from human placentae isolated at different time points in development and at the full-term gestational stage. The placenta is extensively washed to eliminate blood contamination on its surface and inside the villi (the vascular compartments of the placenta). The placenta is then mechanically minced into pieces, which are subsequently digested with an enzyme cocktail. After dissociation and filtration, placental cells are available for further phenotypic and functional analyses.
This unit describes a protocol to isolate hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells from human placentae isolated at different time points in development and at the full-term gestational stage. The placenta is extensively washed to eliminate blood contamination on its surface and inside the villi (the vascular compartments of the placenta). The placenta is then mechanically minced into pieces, which are subsequently digested with an enzyme cocktail. After dissociation and filtration, placental cells are available for further phenotypic and functional analyses.
