History of Bone Marrow Transplant
Scientists in the mid 19th century proposed bone marrow was responsible for the formation of blood cells; this idea was later shown to be correct. The current belief is that all blood cells are actually formed by a small subset of bone marrow cells; these cells are called "hematopoietic stem cells"(1) (because the cells used for transplantation are stem cells, this phrase will be used in the rest of this article). These hematopoietic stem cells live in the bone marrow and have special set of characteristics; they can renew themselves, they can develop into any type of blood cell and they leave the marrow to enter the blood and lymphatic systems. They should not be confused with embryonic stem cells, which are obtained from a developing fetus.
Early attempts to transplant stem cells were generally unsuccessful because the appropriate methods were not yet known. Marrow transplantation was further explored after World War II. The Atomic Energy Commission was concerned about the effects of atomic weapons, specifically the radiation to which combatants and civilians were exposed. Stem cells are especially sensitive to radiation and it was thought that transplantation could restore the function of damaged cells(2). Today bone marrow transplantation is a viable option for many individuals. Because of continued research the success rate has steadily improved.
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