The lysosome, an organelle, and a dormant cell are both inhibited by the new mechanism that this study has found. This makes lysosomes more accessible as a possible therapeutic target. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat leukemia in tens of thousands of patients every year. Chemotherapy at high doses kills cancer cells quickly, but it also kills the stem cells required to generate healthy blood. Finding the correct donor can be difficult, especially in diverse ethnic groups where the donor list may be short or nonexistent. Stem cell transplantation is utilized to rebuild a patient’s healing blood source. Although cord blood stem cells are a valuable source of new donors, the quantity of stem cells is sometimes insufficient for an adult recipient. Cord blood can tremendously benefit from an understanding of how stem cells are activated and multiplied in a regulated manner. Controlling stem cell activation may also be useful for maintaining sleep in conditions where stem cells are incorrectly activated as a result of illness, inflammation, or pharmacological therapy.
