Leif Carlsson

Biography

Professor Umeå Centrum för Molekylär Medicin (UCMM)

Research Interest

We have previously shown that the Lhx2 gene is involved in all these processes. Activation of this gene in the blood-forming system led to the establishment of cell lines which, in principle, represent an inexhaustible source of blood stem cell-like cells, as they share many key traits of normal blood stem cells, including the use of bone marrow transplants in mice. We have also defined which signal paths are required for Lhx2 to expand blood stem cells. Normal blood stem cells are difficult to study because they are extremely few in blood-forming organs and can not be cultured in cell culture with retained stem cell characteristics, ie they can not transplant. These cell lines are therefore very important tools for studying blood stem cells on molecular,