How Long Has Science Known About Stem Cells in Umbilical Cord Blood?
Although cord blood has only recently received widespread media attention, the first successful cord blood transplant took place in France in 1988, for a child with Fanconis Anemia, a rare congenital anemia. In 1991, a transplant was performed on a child with chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. Both transplants were successful, opening the door to cord blood transplantations for situations in which traditional bone marrow had been routinely used. Since then, approximately two-thirds of the cord blood transplants (more than 2,000 to date) performed have been for malignant conditions, while the remainder have been done for a variety of genetic blood disorders. Overall, cord blood transplants offer a high rate of success, which continues to grow as the number of transplants rises.
