Using chemotherapeutic drugs to trigger hematopoietic stem cell activation and determine hematological toxicity

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) replenish blood cells throughout the lifetime of an animal. Maintaining the HSC pool is of paramount importance to the survival of the organism. Thus, when treating a patient or an animal with chemotherapeutic agents, all care must be taken to ensure that the HSC pool is minimally damaged while simultaneously eradicating the target population. Discussed here is a method to assess the potency of chemotherapeutic drugs on the hematopoietic system, their ability to activate the HSC compartment, and the damage done to the HSC pool.