Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant
Blood and bone marrow stem cell transplants replace unhealthy stem cells with healthy stem cells.
Now, stem cells are found in bone marrow. What is bone marrow? Bone marrow is the substance inside the bones. (Have you ever eaten ribs, or seen a rib bone, and looked in the middle of the bone? That's bone marrow.)
The stem cells that are found in the bone marrow are red blood cells (which carry oxygen throughout the body), white blood cells (which fight infections), and platelets (which help blood clot).
Stem cells can also be found in the blood and the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. From there, the blood is frozen and stored at a umbilical cord blood bank for later use.
There is one stem cell, the embryonic stem cell, which can develop into any type of cell. These kinds of cells are not found in the bone marrow.
There are two main types of stem cell transplants: autologous and allogenic.
Autologous transplants store the stem cells for later. Even though you are sick, you will still have enough healthy stem cells. Cancer cells are removed and destroyed from the cells that were collected.
In an allogenic transplant, stem cells are received from a donor, like a relative or someone you do not know.
You may be asking how do they collect the stem cells?
One way of collecting cells through a donor is through a process called apheresis. During this process a needle is placed in the arm to draw blood, which is then passed through a machine designated to filter the stem cells from the blood. After that, the blood is then returned to the donor.
Cited
"What Is a Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant? ."National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. National Institutes of Health, 15 Nov 2011. Web. 12 Jun 2012. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/bmsct/>
Now, stem cells are found in bone marrow. What is bone marrow? Bone marrow is the substance inside the bones. (Have you ever eaten ribs, or seen a rib bone, and looked in the middle of the bone? That's bone marrow.)
The stem cells that are found in the bone marrow are red blood cells (which carry oxygen throughout the body), white blood cells (which fight infections), and platelets (which help blood clot).
Stem cells can also be found in the blood and the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. From there, the blood is frozen and stored at a umbilical cord blood bank for later use.
There is one stem cell, the embryonic stem cell, which can develop into any type of cell. These kinds of cells are not found in the bone marrow.
There are two main types of stem cell transplants: autologous and allogenic.
Autologous transplants store the stem cells for later. Even though you are sick, you will still have enough healthy stem cells. Cancer cells are removed and destroyed from the cells that were collected.
In an allogenic transplant, stem cells are received from a donor, like a relative or someone you do not know.
You may be asking how do they collect the stem cells?
One way of collecting cells through a donor is through a process called apheresis. During this process a needle is placed in the arm to draw blood, which is then passed through a machine designated to filter the stem cells from the blood. After that, the blood is then returned to the donor.
Cited
"What Is a Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant? ."National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. National Institutes of Health, 15 Nov 2011. Web. 12 Jun 2012. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/bmsct/>