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How can a patient’s own bone marrow be used in a transplant?

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Diagram showing the locations of neural stem cells in brain regions such as the hippocampus and ventricles, and hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and blood, with labeled illustrations of the brain, spinal cord, circulatory system, and skeleton. — stem cell Stem cells of neural and hematopoietic origin have tremendous potential in the development of therapies for certain diseases, such as diabetes and Parkinson disease. Neural stem cells occur in the spinal cord and in specific regions of the brain, and hematopoietic stem cells occur in the blood and bone marrow.

When a patient’s own bone marrow is used in a transplant, the procedure is known as an autologous transplant. This form of stem cell therapy is primarily utilized for cancer patients who are preparing to undergo high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy.1

The process involves the following steps:

Harvesting: Hematopoietic stem cells are collected from the patient’s own bone marrow and stored prior to the start of their cancer treatment. In some cases, patients may donate their marrow during periods of remission to be used later.12
Therapy: The patient undergoes intensive treatment designed to destroy cancer cells, which also depletes their existing bone marrow.1
Reinfusion: After the therapy is complete, the stored stem cells are injected back into the patient's bloodstream to help restore and speed the recovery of their bone marrow.1

Because the cells originate from the patient, autologous transplants eliminate the risk of graft-versus-host disease, a common complication where donor cells attack the recipient's tissues.12