A research team of Inserm, CNRS and the Max Delbrück Center
for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch lead by Dr. Michael Sieweke of the
Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille Luminy (CIML, CNRS*, INSERM**, Aix Marseille
Université) and MDC, today revealed an unexpected role for hematopoietic stem
cells: they do not merely ensure the continuous renewal of our blood cells; in
emergencies they are capable of producing white blood cells “on demand” that
help the body deal with inflammation or infection. This property could be used
to protect against infections in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants,
while their immune system reconstitutes itself (Nature >>)