Trends in stem cell manipulation ex vivo

: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is nowadays a standard procedure for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant diseases of bone marrow and immune system as well as of malignant solid tumors. However, HSCT is often complicated by serious and often fatal conditions, which initiated development of a number of techniques of cell manipulation ex vivo in the last two decades, with the aim of improving the graft quality and thus the outcome of transplantation. The subject of this brief review is graft manipulation in autologous and allogeneic HSCT, with emphasis on the future directions in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.