Hematopoietic stem cells a

Hematopoietic stem cells are capable of evolving into all the specific cell types in the blood and immune system. They can be found in people of all ages. The three sources of hematopoietic stem cells which are routinely used for medical treatments are:

1. the bone marrow of an adult person
2. the peripheral blood of an adult person
3. the umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby

When a patient requires a Hemaotpoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT), the treating physician will decide which source of stem cells to use. This will depend on several factors, including but not limited to: the degree of match between donor and patient (sometimes the donor and patient are one and the same person), the expected speed of engraftment, and the amount of time available to search for a perfectly matching donor.