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STEM CELLS 101

YOU GOT QUESTIONS? WE GOT ANSWERS!
Check out these FAQ's about stem cells and stem cell donation below
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Every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?

Stem cells, specifically blood stem cells, are found in bone marrow, peripheral circulating blood and umbilical cord blood. These blood cells are immature cells which can become: 

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  • Red blood cells - cells that carry oxygen 

  • White blood cells – cells that fight infection 

  • Platelets – cells that help control bleeding. 

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Blood stem cells are not embryonic stem cells. They come from bone marrow, circulating (peripheral) blood or umbilical cord blood. People with diseases or disorders that inhibit their ability to produce these kinds of cells need a transplant of healthy stem cells from a donor. 

WHAT IS BONE MARROW?

Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside bones that produces these blood forming stem cells. When disease affects marrow, such that the bone marrow cannot produce the stem cells or produces diseased cells, a stem cell transplant may be your best treatment option.

how does it work?

A stem cell transplant replaces the recipient patient’s unhealthy stem cells with the donor’s healthy stem cells. There are three sources of stem cells used in transplant.

 

  • Bone marrow 

  • Peripheral (circulating) blood 

  • Umbilical cord blood. 

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The choice of the type of stem cell donation will be a medical decision and will be made by your transplant physician and the transplant team. 

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HOW DOES IT HELP?

Stem cell transplants are used to treat over 80 diseases and disorders, including: 

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  • Certain types of cancer including leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma 

  • Bone marrow deficiency diseases caused by abnormal red blood cell production, such as thalassemia or sickle cell disease 

  • Aplastic anemia (the lack of normal blood cell production) 

  • Inherited immune system and metabolic disorders. 

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For patients with leukemia or other cancers that cause bone marrow to function abnormally, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and specialized medications are tried first to stop the disease. When these treatments do not work, or if the patient has a relapse, the only solution is to replace their stem cells with those from a person's healthy stem cells. 

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