Catherine Robin receives grant from KNAW 3R fund

Blood stem cells, also called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), are rare and long-lived cells that continuously supply us with all the types of blood cells we need during our lifetime. Defects in HSCs lead to various blood-related disorders and cancers such as anemia, leukemia and lymphoma. The best treatment option and sometimes even the only hope for patients suffering from these diseases, is to transplant healthy HSCs to replace defective ones. However, the number of transplantation procedures is rising and it is a major challenge to find compatible HSCs for every patient. Besides promoting volunteer donation, there is therefore an urgent need for alternative ways to access a sufficient supply of healthy HSCs.

Embryo-like structures

One solution may be found in the generation of HSCs from embryonic stem cells in the lab. So-called gastruloids may be a promising model to study a variety of developmental processes, including the production of HSCs. Gastruloids are tiny structures that are grown from embryonic stem cells and that resemble actual embryos. They can therefore be used as a model system for research into development and other biological processes in the lab without needing embryos. The group of Catherine Robin will use the grant from the KNAW 3R fund to explore whether gastruloids can be used to replace embryos to study and manipulate the very first steps leading to HSC production in the lab.

3R’s: Reduce, refine, replace

Robin’s project will investigate a model that can reduce the number of embryos needed for research and may even replace animal testing for this specific subject altogether. Thereby, it contributes to the 3R policy of the KNAW – reduce the number of experimental animals, replace experimental animals with alternatives and refine the research methods to minimize discomfort – and is therefore awarded with a grant from the 3R fund.