New approach could make bone marrow transplants safer

(Harvard Medical School) Bone marrow transplantation is the only curative therapy for the millions of people living with blood disorders like sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and AIDS. However, the faulty stem cells must first be 'evicted' or killed, which requires chemotherapy and radiation -- a vicious assault on the body. HSCI researchers have developed a non-toxic transplantation procedure using antibodies to target blood stem cells in mice, an approach they hope will make bone marrow transp...