Long-term culture of aplastic anaemia bone marrow

Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) were established with marrow from 11 patients with aplastic anaemia (AA). Bone marrow from five patients, with low numbers of committed progenitor cells, exhibited an increase in committed progenitor cell production to normal levels in the first week of LTBMC. None of 44 haematologically normal marrow cultures showed this increase. Mature and committed progenitor cell production in all cultures from aplastic anaemia bone marrow, declined faster than in normal cultures. This study indicates that short-term culture for committed progenitor cells is an underestimate of the proliferative capacity of bone marrow from some patients with AA. LTBMC may provide a useful system for further studies into the mechanisms responsible for this increased growth in some patients with AA.