Milestones in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

An article on hematopoietic cell transplantation by Karl G. Blume, MD, and these accompanying milestones were published in December 2008 as part of the special ASH anniversary brochure, 50 Years in Hematology: Research That Revolutionized Patient Care. 

1868The bone marrow is first described as blood-forming tissue.
1939The first clinical marrow transplant is attempted, but unsuccessful.
1949- 
1956		The humoral and cellular hypotheses of marrow reconstitution are debated.
1956- 
1959		Efforts are renewed in marrow grafting in human diseases.
1956- 
Present		Advances in marrow grafting through animal studies in murine and canine models.
1968- 
1969		The first successful allogeneic HCT procedures are performed in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency diseases.
1975The first large series of allogeneic HCT for leukemia is performed.
1977, 
1980		Successful HCT procedures from unrelated marrow donors.
1978The first series of successful autologous HCT for lymphoma is performed.
1987, 
1989 
 		Isolation of the murine and human hematopoietic stem cells is achieved.
1990The Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology is awarded to E. Donnall Thomas for the development of HCT as a curative therapy for life-threatening hematologic disorders.
2008More than 800,000 patients have been transplanted worldwide during the past four decades.

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