Development of Humanized Ossicles: Bridging the Hematopoietic Gap

Abstract

Ectopic 'humanized ossicles' (hOss) are miniaturized, engineered human bone organs in mice displaying a similar structure and function to native mouse bones. However, they are composed of human mesenchymal derived cells forming a humanized bone marrow niche. This in vivo reconstitution of human skeletal and hematopoietic compartments provides an opportunity to investigate the cellular and molecular processes involved in their establishment and functions in a human setting. However, current hOs strategies vary in their engineering methods and their downstream applications, undermining comprehensive exploitation of their potential. This review describes the specificities of the hOs models and highlights their potential and limits. Ultimately, we propose directions for the development of hOss as a technological platform for human hematopoietic studies.

Keywords: bone marrow niche; bone tissue engineering; hematopoiesis; hematopoietic stem cells; humanized ossicle; mesenchymal stromal cells.