One aim of this project is to study in detail the in-vivo location of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niches in relation to extracellular matrix (ECM) provided by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and/or osteoblast like cells in the subendosteal region.

The information of these diagnostic studies together with the results of the first funding period will be used to systematically screen mesenchymal reporter cell lines for the effects of an array of ECM coated surface preparations in a combinatorial way.

The long-term perspective of the project is the development of engineered biomaterials that allow systematic and repetitive expansion of multipotent HSC on an optimized stromal cell-based feeder layer or bio-hybrid niche environment.