The use of stem cell medicine was first used in 1956 by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, a bone marrow transplant specialist. He administered donor adult stem cells to a leukemia patient who went into complete remission. Dr. Thomas and Joseph E. Murray are co-winners of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine for their contribution to discoveries concerning cell and organ transplantation in the treatment of human diseases.
Cord blood stem cells have been used in the treatment of blood cancers and/or blood diseases since 1988. That same year, Elaine Gluckman replaced allogenic cord blood for a bone marrow transplant in order to treat Fanconi Anemia, a rare recessive blood disorder. The child remains completely disease free.
Also in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin, James Thompson isolated the first embryonic stem cells from a blastocyst of a five day old in vitro fertilized egg. This discovery provoked a multitude of scientific studies, research documents, and heated debates over the ethical issues surrounding embryo destruction for medical purposes.
In 2001, treatment protocols were developed which permitted the removal of white blood cells from the umbilical cord, making the treatment safe with no risk of Graft-Versus-Host disease.
In 2002, Catherine Verfaillie at the University of Minnesota proved that CD34+ stem cells from bone marrow could repopulate every single cell in a developing mouse. This study prompted more studies using adult stem cells to generate far more than just blood cells. It was proven that there are great potentials for adult stem cells to treat a wide range of blood diseases, cancers, degenerative diseases, and injuries. Studies were later released which proved that adult stem cells have the power to rebuild or reconstruct every cell in the body, not just the blood cells.
In 2004, Duke University published data from a human study confirming the Verfaillie study. The study featured the heart treatment of a boy who received CD34+ stem cells derived from donated umbilical cord blood. Not only did the investigation show differentiation to neurons and other cell types, but also proved that cord blood stem cells:
- Migrate to the site of disease,
- Have the ability to differentiate into specialized heart cells,
- Engraft yielding clinical benefits.