Hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cell (HSCs) are responsible for forming all of the body’s blood cells. HSCs reside inside bone marrow niches, where they are surrounded by different types of cells including macrophages.

Paul Frenette, M.D., has received a four-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to pursue his recent findings suggesting that macrophages play crucial roles in regulating HSC activities. He and his colleagues will study whether niche macrophages influence HSCs’ ability to regenerate, differentiate into blood cells, move within the bone marrow, and exit the bone marrow. The research may reveal critical functions of niche macrophages and lead to new treatment approaches for blood cancers and other life-threatening disorders.

Dr. Frenette is professor of medicine and of cell biology and chair and director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at Einstein. (1R01HL157948-01)