Our Blood and Marrow Transplant Program physicians have more than 40 years of experience in research, discovery and passion for patient care. Here are some of the milestones in the history of our program:

• 1968: World’s first successful human bone marrow transplant using an HLA matched sibling donor. The transplant is performed by Robert Good, M.D., in an infant with an immune deficiency syndrome.
• 1974: BMT program established at the University of Minnesota.
• 1975: First successful transplant in a patient with lymphoma.
• 1979: Adult BMT program established.
• 1980s: Development of autologous marrow transplantation—using the patient’s own marrow—for chronic myelogenous leukemia.
• 1982: First transplant for an inherited metabolic disease.
• 1985: Unrelated donor transplant is initiated at University of Minnesota.
• 1991: First cord blood transplant using a related donor for a child with leukemia.
• 1992: Autologous BMT is used to treat breast cancer.
• 1994: First unrelated umbilical cord blood transplant.
• 1996: The University of Minnesota Cancer Center opens, providing contiguous lab space for pediatric and adult BMT researchers.
• 1998: University of Minnesota Cancer Center, affiliated with the Blood and Marrow Transplant program, becomes a National Cancer Institute-  designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
• 1999: The 3,000th BMT at University of Minnesota is performed.
• 1999: First sickle cell patient transplanted using a nonmyeloblative allogeneic sibling transplant.
• 1999: The American Red Cross, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and University of Minnesota team up to open the Midwest's first public cord blood bank.
• 2000: The first umbilical cord blood transplant is performed on a Fanconi Anemia patient using pre-implantation genetic testing. This ensures a perfect tissue match.
• 2000: The first successful double-cord blood transplant.
• 2003: Successful and routine engraftment of cord blood grafts for adults using two closely matched cord blood units.
• 2004: Published experience with reduced intensity cord blood grafts for adult recipients who are not suited for conventional allogeneic transplantation.
• 2004: Successful early experience of leukemia reinduction using immunoablative therapy along with infusions of haploidentical donor natural killer cells.
• 2007: 5,000th BMT is performed at the University of Minnesota.
• 2008: 40th anniversary of program.
• 2008: First-in-human trial of peripheral blood T-regulatory cells as a method to attempt to prevent GVHD.
• 2009: Clinical trial demonstrated that double umbilical cord blood transplant (versus single cord transplant) reduces risk of relapse for patients with leukemia.
• 2009: Patient outcomes for myeloablative double umbilical cord blood transplantation are equal to those of related or unrelated donor transplantation.
• 2010: First-in-human trial of marrow stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells to repair the mucocutaneous disease, Epidermolysis Bullosa.