Hematology
OTHER
New lab method maps blood cell development in mice with high detail
Frontiers in Medicine
Published April 1, 2026
Scientists have created a new laboratory method to study how blood cells develop. The method uses a technique called spectral flow cytometry with 19 markers to identify many different types of blood-forming stem cells and their mature offspring all at once. They tested it on bone marrow samples from healthy mice, older mice, and mice with a genetic blood disorder called beta-thalassemia.
The study found that this detailed panel could accurately track the entire journey of blood cell creation, from early stem cells to fully formed red blood cells. In the mouse models of aging and disease, the method clearly detected expected changes in how blood cells were being made. This shows the tool is sensitive enough to spot differences in blood cell production.
It is important to understand this research was done entirely in mice in a laboratory. No human cells or patients were involved. The study was about validating a research tool, not testing a treatment. The results mean scientists now have a more powerful way to study blood diseases in mice, which could help guide future basic research. However, this does not translate directly to any new tests or treatments for people at this time.
View Original Abstract ↓
Hematopoiesis occurs in the bone marrow of adult mammals and is supported by hematopoietic stem cells that sustain lifelong blood cell production. Pathological conditions can disrupt HSC differentiation, causing anemia, immunodeficiency, and other cytopenias. Therefore, precise and simultaneous identification of hematopoietic populations from stem to mature cells is essential for understanding disease mechanisms and developing targeted therapies. In order to study these alterations, flow cytometry is generally the reference technique. However, most cytometry panels are designed to study a specific population, leaving out potential discoveries on other populations from the same microenvironment. Here we present the design of a 19-marker spectral flow cytometry panel capable of simultaneously identifying HSPCs, erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid cells within a single murine bone marrow sample. This integrated approach replaces multiple conventional panels and enables comprehensive mapping of hematopoietic differentiation from a single assay. Validation confirmed accurate detection of long-term and short-term HSCs, multipotent progenitors, common myeloid and lymphoid progenitors, and erythroid populations from proerythroblasts to reticulocytes. UMAP visualization captured the continuous trajectory of differentiation. We validated our method on aged and β-thalassemic mouse models showing a clear detection of hematopoiesis and erythropoiesis alterations respectively. This panel provides a robust and flexible tool suitable for both basic research and translational studies.
