New Stem Cell Transplantation Technique May Match Donor For Every Patient
A new stem cell technology may greatly expand the donor pool for a variety of malignant and nonmalignant disorders, including bone marrow diseases. By using novel graft engineering technologies, a stem cell donor may be matched for almost every patient that needs one. There is currently only a 25 percent chance of finding a matched donor within the average nuclear family; many ethnic groups have less than a 10 percent chance. The technologies, developed by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and Children's University Hospital Tuebingen in Germany, allow HLA (genetic markers determining people's tissue types) mismatched and haploidentical (incompatible) stem cell donors into the donor pool and improve the outcome of stem cell transplantation by manipulating the graft according to the patient's underlying disease. Researchers performed either positive stem cell selection strategies or negative depletion of graft-versus-host inducing T-cells. The novel negative depletion strategy of mobilized peripheral haploidentical stem cells was performed for the first time by the research team.
The Role of Graft Engineering in Transplantation
Rupert Handgretinger, M.D., St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 8:45 AM
Rates of Aplastic Anemia in Thailand Far Exceed the West
The incidence of aplastic anemia in Thailand is two to three times higher than in the Wes
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Contact: Brian Ruberry
br@allhealthpr.com
240-506-6323
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
17-Oct-2005