Hematopoietic stem cells, which are found in adult bone marrow, have properties that enable them to self-renew and differentiate into other types of blood cells, making them an ideal candidate to treat a number of diseases and cancers.

Through the partnership, USC stem cell biology and regenerative medicine professor Dr. Qi-Long Ying, PhD, will lead a project to develop and optimize culture conditions for long-term, ex-vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells. Then, Ying and colleagues will genetically modify the cells and test their ability to treat blood disorders, cancers, and other diseases in animal models. The hope is that their findings can be translated into clinical therapies for cancers and blood diseases.

The effort is supported by $3.6 million in funding from the Baize Plan Fund, which aims to provide affordable cell treatments and therapies to ultimately cure cancer and increase life expectancy.