We are very happy to start our new project - Development of the new strategy for the mobilization of bone marrow cells to the blood for the treatment of hematopoietic disorders. Our goal is to develop the new therapy for neutropenia and mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation.
All blood cells normally develop in the bone marrow and are gradually released into the peripheral blood. However, in stressful conditions, such as inflammation, mobilization occurs and cells are released from the bone marrow into the blood. Mobilization can be also induced pharmacologically, what is used in hematology to obtain HSC cells for transplantation and to increase the number of granulocytes in patients with neutropenia. The standard drug used for mobilization is the recombinant granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). Unfortunately, this drug turns out to be ineffective in 5-30% of cases.
We have previously found that cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP) induces an increase in endogenous G-CSF concentration and effectively mobilizes cells from the marrow to the blood in mice (A. Szade et al. EMBO Mol Med 2019). Our new project aims to develop a new mobilization strategy, therefore the first step is to optimize the dose and timing of CoPP administration. During the mobilization what matters for the patient is not only the number of mobilized cells, but above all - their function. Therefore, in the second stage we want to check the microbicidal activity of mobilized granulocytes, and in the third - the ability of the mobilized HSC to colonize the recipient's bone marrow after transplantation.
The project is financed by the National Centre for Research and Development in the frame of the Lider grant awarded to Agata Szade. To learn more about our research concerning CoPP and mobilization, please visit the Hematopoietic Stem Cells And Their Niche group website.
Wishing everybody all the best for the New Year!