Patent ID: 8158422
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: C12N

Abstract:
1. A method of culturing human embryonic stem cells into erythroid cells producing adult-type β-hemoglobin, the method comprising the steps of: (a) culturing human embryonic stem cells under conditions which favour differentiation of the cells into hematopoietic progenitors; (b) isolating human embryonic stem cell-derived cells selected from the group consisting of CD31+, CD34+, and CD31+/CD34+ cells, wherein the cells are enriched in CD31+/CD43+, CD31+/CD34+, CD34+/CD43+ or CD31+/CD34+/CD43+ hematopoietic progenitors; (c) culturing the hematopoietic progenitors to cause differentiation from CD34+/CD43+ hematopoietic progenitors to erythroid precursors followed by self-renewal/expansion of the erythroid precursors and maturation of the erythroid precursors; and (d) recovering a population of matured erythroid cells, wherein essentially all of the live cells produce adult β-hemoglobin and fetal γ-hemoglobin but not embryonic ζ-hemoglobin.