Dr. Bruce Lenes, Medical Director, Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation

Did you know that only 20 percent of bone marrow transplants actually involve the transplantation of bone marrow? Sounds crazy, right? Well, in fact the majority of bone marrow transplants actually involve the use of what is known as peripheral blood stem cells which are taken not from the pelvic bone, but instead from the circulating blood through a needle in the arm! Gift of Life helps cure blood cancers and other diseases through the donation of these “hematopoietic stem cells.” However, sometimes people can confuse them with other types of stem cells, such as those found in a developing fetus. There is a difference, and we're about to tell you more.

1. Embryonic Stem Cells
The very early cells of the developing fetus are called “embryonic stem cells.” Each one of them can, if separated, develop into a complete human being. In fact, when they do separate naturally in the womb, it creates identical twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc. It is these cells that have created great controversy in regards to the ethics of research involving the development, usage and destruction of human embryos. in the political world.

2. Committed Stem Cells
As “embryonic stem cells” continue to divide, they also begin to mature and change. This differentiation limits their ability to create all of the cells, tissues and organs needed to make a complete human being. These cells are called “committed stem cells” and they are restricted to the development of cells that make up the various organs such as the heart, brain, stomach and more.

3. Hematopoietic Stem Cells
At some point in the development of the fetus, one of the "committed stem cells" is limited to the creation of cells found in the blood. This stem cell is called the “hematopoietic stem cell” and is the one used in bone marrow transplants. This cell lives in the bone marrow space, the sponge-like center of our large bones, and does two things throughout its life. First, it divides and makes more of itself, so we always have plenty of these types of stem cells! Second, it can also divide and mature further into either red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.

It is the “hematopoietic stem cell” that is used in both the bone marrow and the peripheral blood stem cell transplants coordinated by Gift of Life.  We will expand on this topic in the next post when we discuss procedures for collecting stem cells, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood.  Until then, please feel free to send us your feedback via our contact page!