Why use cord blood instead of bone marrow?
Easier to match — higher survival Bone marrow is difficult to match between the donor and recipient because a perfect match is usually required. Cord blood immune cells, however, are less mature than those in bone marrow and can be successfully used even when there is only a half-match. Recipients experience less Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) and, therefore, less complications and hospitalization. Less expensive and less painful Collection of bone marrow is an invasive process and can be very painful as it requires extracting marrow from the donor’s bones with a needle and syringe. This is a lengthy process that usually requires general anesthesia. It is also a very expensive procedure. What is Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) GVHD is one of the most common and life threatening side effects of a stem cell/bone marrow transplant. GVHD occurs when the transplanted stem cells recognize the recipient’s body as foreign, and “reject” it. This greatly reduces the patient’s survival rate a
Related Questions
- What is the difference between stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood and those derived from bone marrow and fat tissue?
- What is the difference between cord blood stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and bone marrow stem cells?
- What is the difference between an autologous and allogeneic bone marrow or cord blood transplant?
