Development of the hemato-vascular system and stem cells.

The general interest of the group is to understand the mechanisms involved in stem cell/progenitor cell differentiation during development and in transplantation. Our research is focused on the hematopoietic system and uses the mouse as experimental model. In particular, we aim to understand the key characteristics and differentiation mechanisms that distinguish fetal liver hemato/vascular stem/progenitor cells compared to counterpart progenitors from adult bone marrow and liver. To achieve this aim we use a combination of different techniques including flow cytometry, confocal analysis, in vitro differentiation and transplantation into neonatal and adult environments. Using these approaches, important results were obtained on the identification of novel fetal liver hemato/vascular progenitor populations and characterization of vascular engraftment behavior. These studies could be helpful in the establishment of experimental models for vascular and hematopoietic cell therapy.