Bone Marrow Transplants for Sickle Cell Disease

A bone marrow transplant is the only way to cure sickle cell disease, but it’s not a simple process. If you’re thinking about a transplant for yourself or a child, here are some things to know. A bone marrow transplant replaces the cells in your body that make red blood cells, called hematopoietic stem cells, with new ones. That means your body will stop making the sickle-shaped cells that cause the disease. In the procedure, a doctor takes healthy stem cells from the bone marrow of a donor and injects them into your body, usually through an IV tube into one of your veins.   Abstract source