HUMAN ERYTHROID PROGENITOR CELL POPULATION

摘要

The invention provides a method of preparing from hematopoietic cells a population of cells enriched for erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E) in which up to 100% of the colony-forming units are BFU-E. The method entails separating hematopoietic progenitor cells on the basis of binding to a specific cell surface antigen such as CD34, and separation of erythroid progenitor cells based on binding to a lectin such as Ulex europaeus agglutinin. After separation of the erythroid progenitors, the lectin may be eluted off the cells by incubation with excess sugar, such as fucose, which competes for the cell-binding site on the lectin. The invention also provides a method of treatment for human patients having an erythroid disorder via administration of a cell population enriched for human erythroid progenitor cells. Also provided are diagnostic methods based on the enriched cell population.