When patients receive cells that have been donated by someone else, these transplants are called allogeneic treatments, and the cells used are called allogeneic cells. We cannot be treated with cells from just any other person. Allogeneic cells must be tested for compatibility before using them. However, even when tested for compatibility, allogeneic treatments carry a certain risk. To be successful and to avoid severe adverse reactions, allogeneic transplantations are often accompanied by special drugs. Even so, foreign cells might still be rejected by the recipient’s body. For this reason, whenever possible and available (depending on the specific disease), doctors would prefer to make use of a person’s own cells. | | We call this an “autologous” transplant, because patients receive cells that come from their own body (autologous cells) which will therefore be more readily accepted. Umbilical cord cells are at least as effective as bone marrow stem cells, both in autologous and allogeneic transplants. Furthermore, in allogeneic transplants, umbilical cord cells are less likely to be rejected compared with bone marrow derived cells.(3)
In addition, if you decide to save your child's stem cells, there's a one in four chance of being a perfect match and a one in two probability of providing a suitable match for transplant use with close relatives such as brothers and sisters. |
