ISOLATION AND PRESERVATION OF FETAL AND NEONATAL HEMATOPOIETIC STEM AND PROGENITOR CELLS OF THE BLOOD

摘要

The present invention relates to hematopoietic stem andprogenitor cells of neonatal or fetal blood that arecryopreserved, and the therapeutic uses of such stem andprogenitor cells upon thawing. In particular, the presentinvention relates to the therapeutic use of fetal or neonatalstem cells for hematopoietic (or immune) reconstitution.Hematopoietic reconstitution with the cells of the inventioncan be valuable in the treatment or prevention of variousdiseases and disorders such as anemias, malignancies,autoimmune disorders, and various immune dysfunctions anddeficiencies. In another embodiment, fetal or neonatalhematopoietic stem and progenitor cells which contain aheterologous gene sequence can be used for hematopoieticreconstitution in gene therapy. In a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, neonatal or fetal blood cells that have beencryopreserved and thawed can be used for autologous (self)reconstitution.