MSC and HSPC Coculture: Mimicking Ex Vivo Bone Marrow Niche

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are the crucial component of the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) niche in the bone marrow. Therefore, an ex vivo culture system that recapitulates the marrow microenvironment is important to understanding the niche's regulatory role on HSPC function and improving ex vivo HSPC expansion for clinical transplantation. Herein, a procedure for ex vivo expansion of MSCs from human bone marrow cells and their identification and characterization is described. In addition, a protocol for MSC and HSPC coculture assay is presented. This MSC-HSPC coculture assay can be used for ex vivo expansion of HSPC. Furthermore, this assay is also useful for qualitative analysis of MSCs capable of supporting hematopoiesis.