| Therapies using stem cells have at least forty years | | | | undoubtedly allow soon, the development of new |
| since the first bone marrow transplant was | | | | therapies with the ability to repair the dermis of |
| performed in 1969 by Edward Donnall Thomas, Nobel | | | | irradiated people and those with big burns. |
| Prize for medicine in 1990, based on a research he | | | | Current Therapies Related to Blood Diseases |
| carried out since the fifties. But we now know that | | | | Hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood can |
| bone marrow transplants are in fact hematopoietic | | | | favorably replace bone marrow cells for several |
| stem cell grafts. 4239 transplants were performed in | | | | reasons. Firstly, the greater immaturity of cord blood |
| France, just in 2007. | | | | stem cells provides a more effective transplant. On |
| The idea of using umbilical cord blood stem cells is old, | | | | the other hand, the chances to find a sample of cord |
| an article published in one of the world's leading | | | | blood compatible with a patient which has no parental |
| general medical journals, "The Lancet", was | | | | relationship with the donor, are significantly higher |
| considering this possibility since 1939 and the first | | | | than those of finding a bone marrow donor for an |
| attempt to treat a patient suffering from cancer by | | | | allogenic transplant. |
| transfusion dates from 1963. But only in 1988 the | | | | The statistics given by Professor Gregory |
| team of Professor Eliane Gluckman at Saint-Louis | | | | Katz-Benichou for the United States show that a |
| hospital could establish the protocol followed now, in | | | | third of patients waiting for bone marrow |
| operating the first successful transplant to treat a | | | | transplantation, have to find a donor outside their |
| child suffering from Franconi disease. Therapies | | | | families and less than a third of them (9% of total |
| derived from cord blood, either to treat bone | | | | patients) found a compatible donor. Conversely, all |
| marrow diseases or reconstitute the dermis, require | | | | the investigations made in order to establish the |
| the involvement of the state which must act as a | | | | number of cord blood transplants available worldwide |
| driving force, otherwise its liability could be one day | | | | were successful. Thus all patients undergoing a cord |
| potentially involved due to the lack of information | | | | blood transplant are finding compatible grafts. |
| provided. | | | | Over 20 000 people have been transplanted since |
| Existing Therapies | | | | 1988 and it is not surprising that cord blood |
| The first successful therapeutic efforts based on | | | | transplants are growing each year at the expense of |
| umbilical cord blood were focused on blood diseases. | | | | bone marrow. In 2007, cord blood transplants |
| In a second time, advances in knowledge of the | | | | accounted for 27% of allogenic transplants |
| different types of stem cells and their function will | | | | performed in France. |