The Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview remains at the forefront of blood and marrow advances.  The world’s first successful human transplant in the world was performed at the University of Minnesota in 1968 for a young child with severe combined immunodeficiency.  Since then nearly 5,000 transplants have been performed here. 

Our program is the oldest and one of the most respected pediatric BMT programs in the world focused on the care of children and their families.  In addition, University of Minnesota investigators have led the field with a number of  'firsts' including: the first transplant for lymphoma in 1975, the first transplant for metabolic disease in 1982, the first umbilical cord blood transplant for leukemia in 1990, the first multi-unit umbilical cord blood transplant in 2000, and the first use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to ensure a healthy HLA matched sibling donor for a child with Fanconi Anemia.  Learn about our BMT Clinic.

Caring, dedicated University of Minnesota Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, Child-Family Life and Care Partners staff members are focused on delivering of state of the art care to patients undergoing BMT.

Driven to finding new treatments and safer transplant therapies for children with life threatening malignant and non-malignant diseases, University of Minnesota investigators have received millions of dollars in National Institutes of Health funding and industry support to manipulate the immune system to kill cancer cells and harness the power of stem cells to repair diseased or chemotherapy and radiation damaged tissues. Treatments are available for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Neuroblastoma and other solid tumors, Aplastic Anemia, Fanconi Anemia, Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassemia, metabolic syndromes and immunodeficiency states.

Conditions we treat

Using stem cells from blood or bone marrow for transplant, as well as related immunotherapies, we treat patients with a wide range of diseases, including:

• Leukemia
• Lymphoma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
• Neuroblastoma
• Ewing's Sarcoma
• Kidney (Renal) Cancer
• Aplastic Anemia
• Fanconi and other anemias
• Immune deficiencies
• Inherited metabolic storage diseases
• Osteopetrosis

Comprehensive Care

Many patients come to our program because of its excellent reputation in the field of BMT, its broad scope of services, leading treatments and proven outcomes.  We offer a range of treatments, including autologous, related and unrelated donor marrow or umbilical cord blood transplants and immune-based therapies.

As we continuously improve medical treatments for children, we are also committed to ensuring our patients and their families receive the best care available at University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview.  A specially-trained team of health care professionals including  oncologists, hematologists, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and Child-Family Life specialists, supports our patients and their families throughout the entire process.

Research

Pediatric BMT researchers continue to break new ground in the areas of alternative stem cell therapies, cord blood transplantation, genetic engineering to reduce the side effects of BMT and potentially to treat disease, and immune based therapies.