Restoring Stem Cell Function After Iron Overload

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. Laurie Sehn interviews Dr. Annamaria Aprile of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy on her latest article published in Blood titled "Iron overload damages mitochondria and induces metabolic rewiring of hematopoietic stem cells toward glycolysis." Dr. Aprile describes how reducing iron and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in vivo restores mitochondrial activity, quiescence, and the self-renewal of HSCs. She discusses the therapeutic implications of these findings, focusing on combining iron chelation with a mitochondrial-focused antioxidant to protect or restore stem cell function, a strategy that still needs further testing, including in patient-derived cells.