Non-Malignant Transplant Program

Diseases that affect the bone marrow and immune system make some children too sick to withstand the powerful drugs or radiation (called conditioning) that helps prepare their body for the transplant. Our team has created better ways to help prepare them. This is called reduced-intensity or lower-toxicity conditioning. 

One promising method uses a new drug called treosulfan along with fludarabine. Burroughs led the first research study of treosulfan-based conditioning for patients with non-malignant diseases in the United States. Early results show excellent overall survival and low toxicity rates.  Burroughs and colleagues continue to fine-tune the lower-toxicity conditioning. Their goal is to improve survival and reduce complications for our patients.

New advances make it possible for children to have transplants who were not eligible in the past or who would be considered too high risk at other centers. Some of these options are only offered in research studies called clinical trials. See clinical trials offered through Seattle Children’s and Fred Hutch.

Our advanced options include:

• New ways to prepare children for transplant if they do not have a fully matched donor
• Approaches that help children avoid graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after transplant
• Gene therapy for children with some types of inherited conditions, such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and sickle cell disease

Transplant may not be the only treatment option for your child’s illness. At Seattle Children's, our specialists can provide a full range of treatments, based on what is best for your child.    

Your child will get the care they need from experts in:

• Transplantation
• Blood disorders (hematology)
• The immune system (immunology)
• Infectious disease
• Metabolism (gastroenterology)
• Kidney disease (nephrology)
• Inflammatory diseases (rheumatology)
• Genetics

Our team members work together during the transplant process so your child gets the very best care for all aspects of their health. The multidisciplinary team from Seattle Children’s follows your child throughout their recovery and for many years following transplant.

Combining different skills, knowledge and experience helps us determine the best treatment plan for your child. For details on the number of stem cell transplants we do each year and survival rates for children who receive them, see statistics and outcomes.

• Our large team of doctors has over 40 years of experience diagnosing and treating children with conditions that affect their immune systems. They are experts in caring for patients with unusual or serious infections or autoimmune problems. Read more about Seattle Children’s Immunology Clinic.
• Researchers at our Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies work in the lab and with youth to improve diagnosis and treatment of immune system disorders.
• We are also active in groups that support patients and families, such as the Immune Deficiency Foundation and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.
• We take part in the Pediatric Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC). This group of physician-scientists across North America works together to improve the care of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.

• The blood specialists in our Bone Marrow Failure Program are very experienced in caring for children and teens with conditions that may require stem cell transplants.
• We offer a full range of treatments for marrow failure disorders in addition to stem cell transplants.
• Our doctors are involved in the national registries for severe chronic neutropenia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) and Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA). Collecting information about people who have a disease helps researchers learn more about the disease and find better ways to treat it.

We care for your whole child. We don’t just treat their disease. Your family will have a full team behind you, with specialists in nutrition, pain management, social work, physical therapy, psychology and emotional health. Read more about the supportive care we offer.

At Seattle Children's, we work with children and families from around the Northwest and beyond. Whether you live nearby or far away, we can help with financial counseling, schooling, housing, transportation, interpreter services and spiritual care. Read about our services for patients and families.