More than a half a century of research has focused on identification of hematopoietic stem cells and the development of differentiated blood cells. The insights provided by this research have now made it possible to offer many therapeutic benefits to patients with hematopoietic deficiencies or malignancies. We have annotated a list of landmark papers to help newcomers to the field, as well as to provide a useful resource for those devotees who teach or have specific interests in the field of hematopoiesis. The editorial staff are indebted to our Focus authors and to John Dick, Norman Iscove, Alan Bernstein, and Irving Weissman for their guidance in selecting some of the hematopoietic stem cell classic papers that have contributed significantly to our understanding of hematopoiesis and stem cell biology. Clicking on a link will take you to the PubMed citation or directly to the paper, if it is a Nature family publication.
