DGAP-News: 1 Millionth Blood Stem Cell Transplant Marks Major Medical Milestone
(firmenpresse) - Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
30.01.2013 15:00
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International Cooperation Among Physicians, Scientists Credited for Landmark
Achievement
BERN, Switzerland, 2013-01-30 15:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
The collaborative work of medical scientists and physicians across the globe
has resulted in a major medical milestone: the world's 1 millionth blood stem
cell transplant, a procedure that has become a proven and essential therapy for
many patients battling blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, as well as
other critical diseases.
The Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) announced the
landmark achievement today. The WBMT--a nonprofit scientific organization whose
mission is promoting excellence in stem cell transplantation, stem cell
donation and cellular therapy--said the 1 millionth transplant occurred in late
December 2012. The finding is based on data collected by WBMT international
member organizations involved in blood stem cell transplantation, which were
analyzed and verified by the WBMT.
'One million transplants is a milestone that may surprise many people, because
blood stem cell transplants were viewed as a rare procedure until the last
decade or so,' said Dietger Niederwieser, M.D., president of the WBMT and
professor of medicine in the division of hematology and medical oncology at the
University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany. 'But important discoveries--and the
vital cooperation of many scientists and physicians around the world--have
dramatically improved outcomes for patients who undergo stem cell
transplantation.'
The first blood stem cell transplant was reported by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas in
1957, who received the Nobel Prize in 1990 for pioneering the use of this
innovative approach to treatment of leukemia and other life-threatening
diseases.
By the late 1960s, as knowledge of the requirements for matching patients with
donors evolved, physicians were performing successful allogeneic transplants,
using blood-forming stem cells from sibling donors (among the first in U.S.,
Holland and France). In 1973, the first successful transplant between two
unrelated people occurred in New York, when a young boy received a transplant
from a donor identified as a match through a blood bank in Denmark. In 1988,
the first successful umbilical cord blood transplant was performed in Paris.
Since then, a near-exponential rise in all types of blood stem cell
transplants, particularly from unrelated donors, has occurred. This is largely
thanks to the willingness of now more than 20 million voluntary stem cell
donors worldwide. Today, unrelated transplants are often as successful as those
that use family donors.
International partners will help make this continued growth possible. Already,
data from the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), a WBMT partner, show that
nearly half of the transplants performed with unrelated donors cross an
international border. International donor registries not only expand the pool
of potential donors, they help advance the global science of transplantation
through the exchange of information.
Founding partners of the WBMT include the Center for International Blood and
Marrow Transplant Research(r) (CIBMTR), the Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow
Transplantation Group (APBMT), the European Group for Blood and Marrow
Transplantation (EBMT) and the WMDA. Other regional and national organizations
that participate and contribute data include the Australasian Bone Marrow
Transplant Recipient Registry (ABMTRR), the Canadian Blood and Marrow
Transplant Group (CBMTG), the Eastern Mediterranean Blood and Marrow Transplant
Group (EMBMT) and the Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Ossea
(SBTMO), among others.
'It must be especially emphasized that WBMT has contributed to the advances of
blood stem cell transplants in emerging countries in the Asia-Pacific region
and in the other areas of the world, where the awareness to this medical
procedure is sharply increasing,' said Yoshihisa Kodera, vice president of
WBMT, chairman of APBMT and professor of Aichi Medical University, Japan.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized transplantation as an
important global task, recently recognizing the WBMT as a non-governmental
organization (NGO). 'Transplantation has extended the lifespan of hundreds of
thousands of patients worldwide and enhanced their quality of life,' said Luc
Noel, M.D., of WHO. 'It has become the standard of care for many patients, and
should no longer be restricted to affluent countries or individuals.'
Today, more than 70 malignant and non-malignant diseases are treated routinely
with blood stem cell transplantation, providing new cures for patients around
the globe. The procedure technique itself has improved considerably because of
dedicated cancer centers but also because of collaboration and cooperation
among scientists, clinicians, nurses and data managers, as well as the 19
international scientific societies that establish standards, collect data on
the procedure and analyze outcomes. In patients with optimal conditions,
disease-free survival rates are now reaching more than 90 percent.
'Worldwide, more than 50,000 patients a year are receiving transplants, in
regions ranging from the Asia-Pacific to the Mid-East to Central America,' said
Dennis Confer, M.D., treasurer of the WBMT and chief medical officer of the
U.S.-based National Marrow Donor Program(r) (NMDP). 'The curative potential of
this therapy will only increase, thanks to the commitment and collaboration of
researchers and physicians across the globe.'
About the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT)
The WBMT is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes
excellence in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), stem cell donation and
cellular therapy. It was created in 2006 by four pioneering stem cell
transplantation groups from around the globe: the Center for International
Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow
Transplantation Group (APBMT), European Group for Blood and Marrow
Transplantation (EBMT) and the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). With a
current network of 19 member organizations worldwide, the WBMT is the leading
voice among the stem cell transplantation community. Through its annual global
survey of HCT activities, scientific and educational conferences, and the
development of HCT guidelines and accreditations, the WBMT is advancing
life-saving therapies that treat blood, immune system and genetic disorders.
Learn more at www.wbmt.org.
About the World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United
Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health
matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards,
articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to
countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
CONTACT: WBMT Contacts:
Prof. Dietger Niederwieser; Tel. +49 341 97-13050;
dietger(at)medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Prof. Yoshihisa Kodera; Tel.: +81 561 62 3311 (Ext. 2375);
ykodera(at)river.ocn.ne.jp
Dennis Confer, MD; Tel: +1 612 362 3425;
dconfer(at)nmdp.orgMedia Contact:
Catherine Scott; Tel. +1 612 455 1719;
cscott(at)padillaspeer.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX
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Language: English
Company: Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Switzerland
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ISIN: US9902458549
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Datum: 30.01.2013 - 15:00 Uhr
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