Claims
- 1. An enriched progenitor cell population comprising non-hematopoietic progenitor cells extractable from bone marrow, wherein the cell population is substantially devoid of at least one type of hematopoietic progenitor cell.
- 2. An enriched progenitor cell population according to claim 1, characterized by the absence of at least one hematopoietic progenitor cell type, wherein said cell type is one having a surface marker selected from CD3, CD14, CD39, CD45, CD66, CD119.
- 3. An enriched progenitor cell population according to clam 1, wherein the population is substantially devoid of at least one of the progenitor cell types bearing an MHC determinant selected from HLA-A, HLA-B, WA-C, HLA-DR, HLA-DP and HLA-DQ.
- 4. An enriched progenitor cell population according to claim 2, wherein the population is substantially devoid of progenitor cell types that bear any MHC determinant selected from HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DR, HLA-DP and HLA-DQ.
- 5. A method for expanding human non-hematopoietic progenitor cells, the method comprising the step of subjecting a progenitor cell population comprising non-hematopoietic progenitor cells to non-static suspension culturing in a suitable medium for a period of time effective to expand said progenitor cells.
- 6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said progenitor cell population comprises human mesenchymal progenitor cells.
- 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said progenitor cell population is an enriched progenitor cell population according to any one of claims 1-4.
- 8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein said growth medium includes growth factors for human mesenchymal progenitor cells.
- 9. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein the growth medium excludes at least one factor specific for the growth of hematopoietic progenitor cells.
- 10. The method according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein said growth factors are cytokines.
- 11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said cytokines are a mixture of stem cell factor and interleukin-3.
- 12. The method according to any one of claims 5-10 wherein said suspension is stirred during said effective period of time.
- 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said suspension is maintained at a temperature of about 37° C. during said effective period of time.
- 14. A population of expanded human progenitor cells, characterized in that:
1) when cultured under conditions appropriate for differentiation, said population is able gives rise to differentiated cell types that include bone cells, fibroblast cells and neuronal cells; 2) the population has been expanded in suspension culture; 3) the progenitor cells within the population have not been selected on the basis of adherence; 4) the population phenotype is SH4 negative, and 5) the population results from culturing in the absence of at least one culture supplement specific for hematopoietic progenitor cell maintenance.
- 15. An expanded progenitor cell population, prepared by the suspension culturing of an enriched progenitor cell population according to any one of claims 1-4.
- 16. A composition, useful for delivering non-hematopoietic progenitor cells to an environment conducive to the formation of differentiated cells therefrom, the composition comprising an expanded population of human progenitor cells according to any one of claims 1-4, 14 or 15, and a vehicle for delivering said cells to said environment.
- 17. A progenitor cell population as claimed in any one of clams 14, 14 and 15, in combination with one or more factors for inducing the differentiation thereof.
- 18. A method for producing non-hematopoietic cells, comprising the steps of subjecting a progenitor cell population comprising non-hematopoietic progenitor cells to non-static suspension culturing in a suitable, medium for a period of time effective to expand said progenitor cells, and then delivering the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into the desired-cell type.
- 19. A method of providing cells differentiated from mesenchymal progenitor cells, comprising the steps of subjecting a progenitor cell population comprising mesenchymal progenitor cells to non-static suspension culturing in a suitable medium for a period of time effective to expand said progenitor cells, and then delivering the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into a mesenchymal cell type.
- 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into bone cells.
- 21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into chondrocytes.
- 22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into myoblasts.
- 23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into neural cells.
- 24. The method according to claim 18, wherein the expanded progenitor Cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into adipocytes.
- 25. The method according to claim 18, wherein the expanded progenitor cells or a subpopulation thereof are delivered to an environment conducive to the differentiation thereof into endothelial cells.
- 26. A cell population representing a new compartment of progenitor cells, said cell population comprising progenitor cells which, under differentiation conditions give rise to a variety of non-hematopoietic cell types including osteoblasts, adipocytes and myoblasts, wherein said cell population results from the non-static suspension culturing of an input population of progenitor cells obtained without prior selection based on cell adherence.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application 60/285,701 filed April 24, 2001, and from U.S. provisional application 60/328,110 filed Oct. 11, 2001, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/CA02/00550 |
4/23/2002 |
WO |
|