As opposed to autologous stem cells, allogeneic stem cells are isolated from donors then expanded into different cell lineages before given to patient needing a mesenchymal stem cell transplant. Unlike autologous treatment, allogeneic treatment does not require collecting cells from the patient, although donors still undergo collection procedures such as bone marrow aspiration, blood stem cell collection or donation of birth tissue. Allogeneic blood stem cells can replace a patient’s blood-forming cells after they have been destroyed by disease or high-dose chemotherapy, but these transplants carry serious risks, including graft-versus-host disease, infection and graft failure. Allogeneic blood stem cell transplants have been used for over 50 years, mainly to treat blood related cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as some other blood and immune disorders, and only rarely, mostly in research settings, for auto-immune system disorders. They are not a standard treatment for solid tumors such as lung cancer, pancreatic cancer or liver cancer.
The Basics of Stem Cells Research
Some sources of allogeneic stem cells include:
- Cord tissue derived stem cells
- Dental pulp derived stem cells
- Peripheral blood stem cells
- Cord blood derived stem cells
- Placenta derived stem cells
- Bone Marrow derived stem cells
Stem cells are also present inside different types of human tissue including:
- The brain – Neural Stem cells
- Skeletal muscle derived stem cells
- Blood vessels
- Dental Pulp derived stem cells
- Skin Cells
- Hair Cells
- Embryonic stem cells
- Induced Pluripotent Cells
- Liver derived stem cells
However, stem cells can be difficult to extract and culture for medical use. Cells can also stay in a non-dividing / non-specific form for years until the body recruits them to repair or grow new tissue or begin the healing process after injury.