The Research Database of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant as well as the European Bone Marrow Transplantation Registry have shown that in the past years, 95-98% of the autologous transplantations and 70-75% of the allogeneic transplantations performed world-wide were collected from the peripheral blood. The main advantages compared to bone marrow include: harvesting blood stem cells is far less painful for the donor, utilizes much less resources such as operating theater time, general anesthesia, and, above all, is associated with significantly accelerated reconstitution.

Given this impact, the shift from bone marrow derived to blood derived stem cells for transplantation has been a major milestone in transplantation medicine. Numerous researches have made relevant contributions and provided incremental knowledge, leading to the first clinical attempts in the mid-1980s. The first successful transplantation using peripheral blood stem cells in 1985 in Heidelberg therefore represented the culmination after years and decades of arduous research work by many researchers from institutions around the globe.

In the thirty years, we have identified the ever-changing clinical roles of marrow and blood stem cell transplantations for long-term cure. Above all, we have witnessed the revolutionary development of stem cell research, its impact on regenerative medicine and on regulation of stem cell fate on the one hand, and the evolution of genetically engineered, specific immuno-competent cells from the principles of stem cell transplantations for specific targeted cell therapy on the other. This symposium presents the essential high-lights within this stream of continuous scientific and clinical evolution.

Welcome to Heidelberg and enjoy the conference!

Anthony D. Ho