CH02 peptide promotes <italic>ex vivo</italic> expansion of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34<sup>+</sup> hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an advantageous source for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation, yet the current strategies for large-scale and cost-effective UCB-HSPC preparation are still unavailable. To overcome these obstacles, we systematically evaluate the feasibility of our newly identified CH02 peptide for ex vivo expansion of CD34 + UCB-HSPCs. We herein report that the CH02 peptide is specifically enriched in HSPC proliferation via activating the FLT3 signaling. Notably, the CH02-based cocktails are adequate for boosting 12-fold ex vivo expansion of UCB-HSPCs. Meanwhile, CH02-preconditioned UCB-HSPCs manifest preferable efficacy upon wound healing in diabetic mice via bidirectional orchestration of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors. Together, our data indicate the advantages of the CH02-based strategy for ex vivo expansion of CD34 + UCB-HSPCs, which will provide new strategies for further development of large-scale HSPC preparation for clinical purposes.