Collagen Gel Culture of the Human Hematopoietic Progenitors CFU-GM, CFU-E, and BFU-E

The first evidence of clonal growth and differentiation of hematopoietic cells was obtained by Bradley and Metcalf in 1966 (1 ) by using an agar semi solid culture system. These progenitor cells, initially called “Colony Forming Units in Culture” (CFU-C) developed into colonies after several days of culture in the presence of different types of conditioned media containing “hematopoietic growth factors.” They are found in bone marrow, blood, fetal liver, and spleen of most mammalian species.