Stem Cell Transplant Research
Stem cell transplant provides blood-forming stem cells in order repair the blood of people who have undergone high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy in order to treat cancer or other medical. The Research Team at the UH Rainbow Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinical Trials Unit is directly involved in the conduct of Stem Cell Transplant research. As one of the first programs in the nation accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), we remain focused on excellence in all areas of cancer care – every day. FACT is the only national organization that includes requirements for both patient care and laboratory practices.
Our program includes a range of transplant options including core blood, blood and bone marrow transplants. We use various types of stem cell transplants, including:
- Autologous: Using a patient’s own cells, our team removes your perfectly matched cells and stores them. Also called a rescue transplant, this allows the return of your cells after high-dose treatment.
- Allogeneic: Donor cells that are matched to your own cells are removed from either a family member or suitable donor. After high-dose treatment of your cancer cells, the new donor cells are transplanted to you.
- Syngeneic transplants: With an identical twin, the cell match is perfect to your DNA. Following the same process with cell retrieval, after high-dose treatment, these matched cells are transplanted to you.
- Umbilical cord blood transplant: A type of allogeneic transplant, stem cells from a newborn’s umbilical cord may provide a suitable match. Since these cells are very immature, a less than perfect match is acceptable.
Even if a patient does not have a matched donor initially, we work with national registries to find a suitable or alternative donor.