>>
To solve this problem, researchers from the <<>> examined a new technique that combines two cord blood units from different donors for transplantation into adult or adolescent leukemia patients. Their study is to be published in the February 1, 2005, issue of Blood, the official journal of the <<>>.
Twenty-three patients with high-risk acute and chronic leukemias were studied for up to two and a half years. As is often the case, a suitably matched volunteer donor could not be found for these patients, and without an exact match, a transplant would likely be unsuccessful.
Cord blood is more tolerant of differences between patient and donor, making it possible to perform cord blood transplants without an exact match. Though a single cord blood unit with a satisfactory dose could not be found for these patients, senior study author John Wagner, M.D., Scientific Director of Clinical Research of the University of Minnesota's Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Institute, theorized that they could still have successful transplants if two partially-matched units were used for each patient.