Nursery of the blood: How stem cells calm the body's immune response

Our blood consists of many cell types that develop through different stages from a precursor type -- the blood stem cell. An international research team has now investigated the developmental pathways of blood cells in humans. The results yielded a surprise: Even stem cells possess surface proteins that enable them to suppress the activation of inflammatory and immune responses in the body. This finding is particularly relevant for stem cell transplants, applied for the treatment of e.g. leukemia.

Nursery of the blood: How stem cells calm the body's immune response
Our blood consists of many cell types that develop through different stages from a precursor type -- the blood stem cell. An international research team has now investigated the developmental pathways of blood cells in humans. The results yielded a surprise: Even stem cells possess surface proteins that enable them to suppress the activation of inflammatory and immune responses in the body. This finding is particularly relevant for stem cell transplants, applied for the treatment of e.g. leukemia.