A leukemia patient undergoing care at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health has become one of the first in the world to receive a bone marrow transplant from a deceased human donor.
The procedure was performed in June by Muneer Abidi, MD, and a team at Henry Ford Health.
The stem cells were acquired through Indianapolis-based Ossium Health's HOPE program, which cryogenically preserves bone marrow from deceased donors, according to a Sept. 17 news release from Henry Ford Health.
Josephine Emole, MD, the physician leading the transplant care team, said the patient has accepted the bone marrow and is experiencing normal post-transplant complications.
"The inability to find a matching bone marrow donor prevents many patients from getting life-saving treatment," the release said. "This breakthrough particularly benefits minority populations who have historically faced significant challenges in finding donor matches due to genetic diversity."