Purpose: Human umbilical cord blood is a new source of hematopoietic stem cells.
Patients and methods: On the basis of prior laboratory investigations in an animal model and subsequent in vitro studies of human hematopoietic progenitors, umbilical cord blood was used to reconstitute hematopoiesis in a patient with Fanconi anemia in 1988. As a result of this first success, umbilical cord blood has been used in the treatment of 15 children with a variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases, including acute and chronic leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, Fanconi anemia, aplastic anemia, Hunter syndrome, and congenital immunodeficiency.
Results and conclusions: This review summarizes the brief history and potential future applications of cord blood stem cells (CBSCs) in transplantation.