BONE MARROW ADIPOSE TISSUE AND HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS

Adriana Roque, M.D., Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit at the University Hospital of Coimbra and Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (Portugal)

AND

BONE MARROW ADIPOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION
REGULATES HEMATOPOIETIC SUPPORT

Olaia Naveiras, M.D., Ph.D, Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Translational Research Unit of the Hematology Service at the Department of Oncology of the Lausanne University Hospital (Switzerland)

In the first part of this webinar, we will review the current knowledge of the relationship between bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Despite comprising 10-70% of the bone marrow, BMAT was previously considered an inert tissue, merely filling space left by HSCs and their progeny. However, several preclinical studies have highlighted BMAT’s critical role in regulating the bone marrow microenvironment and influencing HSCs and hematopoiesis, not only through paracrine and endocrine signaling but also by modulating local energy metabolism, cellular differentiation and immune response. Additionally, clinical research has provided evidence that the relationship between BMAT and HSCs varies depending on factors such as age, metabolic condition, and HSC functional status. This emerging knowledge provides new insights into normal, dysfunctional, and malignant hematopoiesis, shedding light on the pathophysiology of various hematological disorders – from bone marrow failure syndromes to hematologic malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia, where HSC dysfunction plays a pivotal role.Understanding the role of BMAT in hematopoiesis could also enhance our comprehension of key hematological therapies, particularly hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and opens the possibility of targeting BMAT to improve hematopoietic recovery and modulate graft outcomes in the future.

SPEAKERS

Adriana Roque, MD, is a hematologist in the Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit at the University Hospital of Coimbra (Portugal) and an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (Portugal). She is currently working on her PhD, focusing on the relationship between bone marrow adipose tissue and monoclonal gammopathies, under the supervision of Professor Raquel Seiça, MD, PhD and Professor Catarina Geraldes, MD, PhD (University of Coimbra). She is a member of the board of the Multiple Myeloma Group within the Portuguese Society of Hematology.

Olaia Naveiras, M.D., Ph.D,is an academic hematologist and Associate Professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where she runs the Laboratory of Regenerative Hematopoiesis, and a consultant hematologist at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), supervising the adult bone marrow failure and aplasia clinic. She studied Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain, and pursued her Master-level studies in Immunology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and in Harvard Medical School, where she then did her PhD within Prof. George Q Daley’s laboratory. She has been Vice-President and President of the International Bone Marrow Adiposity Society (BMAS) from 2017-2022, Vice-President of the Swiss Stem Cell Network (SSCN) and is a member of the scientific committee of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).