Experimental bone marrow transplantation

Abstract

This study formed part of a theses entitled “The Influence of extra-corporeal irradiation on Lympho- and Haemopoiesis” submitted by Dr. Maurice N. Cauchi to the University of London for the Ph.D. degree, 1967. Studies on bone marrow transplantation assume fundamental importance and studies that might shed any light on the problem of growth, division, and differentiation of bone marrow are likely to be of interest. The material and methods used in an experimental bone marrow transplantation is described. The results following this experiment are outlined, indicating the main findings, of which that iron uptake was linearly related to the dose of bone marrow cells injected and that anemia had no significant effect on the repopulating ability of bone marrow stem cells. However, it is not to be concluded that anemia has no effect on the bone marrow cellularity. Of interest is the discussion, wherein it emerged that although the induction of polycythaemia by hypertransfusion leads to a reduction of the erythropoieic elements in the marrow (Alpen et al., 1962 ), the cells from such bone marrow did not behave significantly different from normal bone marrow, indicating that there are as many differentiated cells in the erythropoieic, as in the normal bone marrow.