Human haematopoietic stem cells across the lifespan at single cell resolution

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for production of all blood cells over the human lifespan. In this talk, I will discuss several studies, all using single cell clonal tracking methods, which aim to understand how HSCs contribute distinctly to blood production across the lifespan. First, I will briefly discuss results on how tracking the acquisition of somatic mutations has identified a drastic and inevitable loss of HSC clonality in the elderly. Second, I will present unpublished data on how mutations in the clonal haematopoiesis associated gene DNMT3A impact myeloid cell differentiation of human HSCs. Finally, I will share progress on using experimental barcoding methods to better understand the dynamics of human haematopoiesis in early life, namely in the foetus and in neonates.