LAUSR

Umbilical cord blood transplant (UCB) is an alternative graft source for patients lacking an HLA-matched donor; however, delayed engraftment times have historically resulted in transplant-related mortality (TRM) due to complications such as infections and ineffective hematopoiesis. Recent advances in ex vivo expansion techniques have successfully augmented the initial cell dose delivered from an UCB graft, leading to improved immune reconstitution, durable hematopoiesis, decreased TRM, and better outcomes. Herein we review the data for existing and developing ex vivo expansion techniques, with a focus on the pre-clinical and clinical data for nicotinamide-mediated cord blood expansion across both malignant and benign hematologic indications.