Purification of hematopoietic stem cells from human umbilical cord and peripheral blood through polyurethane foaming membranes

Cell separation is a key technology in the isolation of cells from tissue and the transplantation of blood cells. Cell separation from peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood was investigated using surface-modified polyurethane (PU) foaming membranes (pore size; 5 or 12μm). Permeation ratio of CD34+ and CD133+ cells through the PU membranes was the lowest among the blood cells at any blood permeation speed. This is thought to be because CD34+ and CD133+ cells are more adhesive than red blood cells, platelets, T cells and B cells. Primitive hematopoietic stem cells tend to adhere to the surface of mature blood cells, due to the high expression of cell-adhesion molecules on the surface of the cells. Serum albumin solution was exposed to the membranes in order to detach adhered cells from the surface of the membranes, allowing isolation of CD34+ and CD133+ cells.