Understanding the Concept of Stem Cell Transplant
Before moving towards the Concept of stem cell transplant, let us first take a brief over view of stem cells.
Stem Cells are present in almost all multi-cellular living organisms. They have a special characteristic of regenerating themselves through the process of mitotic cell division. Thus, they are a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues and are used to cure diseases such as Alzheimer, stroke, burns, coronary disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and spinal cord injury. Stem Cells are of two types, namely Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells.
Stem Cell Transplant:
A stem cell transplant is the insertion of healthy stem cells into your body. It is a process of refilling your body with blood-forming cells. While performing a transplant, doctors can use cells from your own body (as in the case of autologous stem cell transplant) or from donor’s body (as in the case of allogeneic stem cell transplant).
The process of stem cell transplant is very complex and involves many steps. Although the procedure for allogeneic and autologous transplants is same, you need to have a detailed analysis of autologous stem cell transplant and see how it differs from allogeneic transplant. The step-by-step procedure of the transplant is as follows:
Stem Cell Collection: Stem cells are collected from bone marrow and then harvested for High dose chemotherapy. In autologous transplant, as the patient himself is a donor, stem cells are moved from the bone marrow to the bloodstream before their collection. This process is called mobilization and is carried out by injecting a colony-stimulating factor (protein that stimulates development and growth of blood cells) under your skin. After the required number of stem cells is mobilized into your bloodstream, the stem cells are then collected through a non-surgical process called apheresis.
1. Processing and Cryopreservation: After the stem cells are collected, they are cryopreserved (frozen) in a laboratory and are store until needed. This type of process is not required if you are undergoing an Allogeneic stem cell transplant as stem cells are collected just before the transplant.
2. High Dose Chemotherapy: This therapy differs from the type of cancer you are suffering from and is more effective than standard chemotherapy.
3. Infusion: After the completion of high-dose chemotherapy, the stored stem cells are transplanted or infused in your blood stream. This infusion process is similar to that of blood transfusion and can also be done on an outpatient basis in some cases. In this process, the stem cells are thawed in a warm water bath and infused in your vein over a period of 2 to 4 hours. These stem cells then pass through your bloodstream and settle in the bone marrow, wherein they start producing WBC’s RBC’s and platelets.
Types of stem cell transplants:
The different types of stem cell transplants are Bone marrow Transplants, Peripheral blood stem cell transplant and cord blood transplants. Stem cell transplants are also categorized on the basis of the donor who provides the stem cells. These types of transplants include Autologous stem cell, Allogeneic, Tandem autologous and mini (nonmyeloblative) allogeneic transplant.
To know more about stem cell transplant, log on to www.ukstemcellbank.org.uk/.
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