Stem cells
How is bone marrow harvested?
Bone marrow was originally the only source of stem cells for transplantation.
But for the past few years, stem cells from blood have also been used. The advantage for the donor is that general anaesthesia is not required for this procedure. Stem cells can also be harvested from the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.
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How are stem cells harvested from blood?
First, the amount of stem cells in the blood is increased. The stem cells are then harvested from the blood.
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Umbilical cord blood
Alternative to stem cells from bone marrow or blood
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Transplantation
For patients, a stem cell transplant can be a matter of life or death. But finding a suitable donor is likely to be a difficult task. There are multiple tissue types that have to perfectly match between donor and patient.
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