Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

7/15/09

Hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells are immature cells that develop into mature blood cells in the bone marrow (spongy center of bones where blood is formed), the bloodstream, or umbilical cord blood. Their source is thus completely different from embryonic stem cells that are derived from the earliest stages of development and have the potential to develop into mature cells of any type of tissue in the body. Stem cell transplantations from the blood and bone marrow are being used to treat a variety of disorders. There are 3 types of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations depending on the relationship of the donor to the recipient. If an individual donates his or her own cells, it is called an autologous stem cell transplant. If the recipient has an identical twin who can donate for him/her, it is called a syngeneic stem cell transplant. If the donor is another sibling or unrelated person, the stem cell transplant is called allogeneic. For allogeneic stem cell transplants, special tests are performed to ensure the best possible match between the donor and recipient. This is important because some of the adverse effects of stem cell transplantation are related to differences between donor and recipient cells. The July 15, 2009, issue of JAMA includes an article about hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Read the full article at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/3/340