This study demonstrates a new and efficient method to amplify the CD34+ human cord blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in a 3D alginate culture system ex vivo for extended periods while retaining the hematopoietic reconstruction capacity.

Our results demonstrated that these 3D alginate culture systems are an efficient way to amplify cord blood HSCs for extended periods without having them lose their self-renewal capacity in vivo. These novel 3D alginate culture systems are promising for the amplification of UCB-derived HSCs for clinical application in the future.