Patent ID: 8206979

Claim:
An in vitro method for producing enucleated erythrocytes, said method comprising the steps of: a) culturing for 6 to 11 days CD34+ haematopoietic stem cells in a culture medium that comprises stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin-3 (IL3), and erythropoietin (EPO); b) culturing for 3 to 5 days the cells obtained in step a), in a culture medium that comprises at least EPO and is in contact with supporting cells, wherein the supporting cells are MS-5 stromal cells or mesenchymal stromal cells; and c) culturing for 2 to 14 days the cells obtained in step b), while maintaining contact with said supporting cells, in the absence of any haematopoietic growth factor until red blood cells selected from the group consisting of reticulocytes, mature red blood cells, and combinations thereof are obtained.