Blood & Bone Marrow Transplant Program

Learn more about this program by browsing the categories below.

Blood & Bone Marrow Transplant Program

What is bone marrow transplantation and blood transplantation?

Bone marrow is the liquid inside bones that contains a type of stem cell (called hematopoietic stem cell) that makes all types of blood cells. In certain situations, these stem cells may also be collected from blood itself. The transplantation process involves administration of chemotherapy, immune therapy and/or radiation therapy, followed by infusion of hematopoietic stem cells collected from bone marrow or blood in order to grow the spectrum of new blood cells.

What diseases are treated with blood or bone marrow transplantation?

Blood or bone marrow transplantation may be the best treatment for some life-threatening cancerous and non-cancerous diseases. Examples of cancerous diseases include leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors and neuroblastoma. Non-cancerous diseases include aplastic anemia, thalassemia major, severe combined immune deficiency and selected genetic disorders.

Where does the blood or bone marrow come from for transplant purposes?

The best source of blood or bone marrow is from a compatible sibling, as determined by sophisticated blood testing. However, there is only a one in four chance (25 percent) of any sibling being compatible for transplant purposes. If a compatible sibling donor is not found, then search for an unrelated adult donor or cord blood unit will be pursued. For certain cancerous diseases, the patient’s own blood stem cells may be used (autologous), if not contaminated by cancer cells. 

What transplant services are offered at Rady Children’s?

As a Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)-certified program, the team at Rady Children’s performs all types of blood and bone marrow transplants, including autologous stem cell transplants, sibling donors, unrelated adult donors and umbilical cord blood units. As an approved site for the National Marrow Donor Program, searches are performed to identify the best unrelated donor and/or umbilical cord blood unit, when a compatible sibling is not available. Also, the team collects bone marrow for the National Marrow Donor Program to be transplanted at other institutions around the world.

Who are the transplant physicians at Rady Children’s?

The blood and bone marrow transplant program at Rady Children’s works with the adult transplant program at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The overall Program Director from UCSD, Dr. Edward Ball, is a renowned transplant physician. The pediatric transplant team consists of Dr. Eric Anderson, Director, and three other physicians who specialize in blood and bone marrow transplantation at Rady Children’s: Dr. William Roberts, Dr. Deborah Schiff and Dr. Jennifer Willert.

Please call 858-966-5811 to discuss potential transplant cases or related issues.