For each organ in the mature body, there are
specific stem cells that can make all the different kinds of cells in that
organ. For example, in the blood system, hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem
cells (HSC) give rise to each of the different types of blood cells such as red
blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and platelets. Traditionally, HSCs
were obtained from the bone marrow. This process was called “bone marrow transplantation.”
However, new methods now obtain HSC from peripheral blood, or blood taken from
the placenta at birth (cord blood).
Cord blood, in particular, provides an
excellent alternative source of HSC for the immune and blood systems. Theprocess of taking HSCs from one person and transfusing them into another iscalled hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT. Unlike transplantation
of a solid organ (such as a kidney or liver), HSCT does not involve surgery. It
is more similar to a blood transfusion.
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