Development of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the Dr. Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia

Abstract

The first allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children in Serbia was performed in the 1970s at the Dr. Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia. In December 1990, a haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed on a nine-month-old infant suffering from X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. Seven years later, a Bone Marrow Transplantation Department was established at the Dr. Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia. Thanks to the members of the transplantation team, with the help and support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic Fund of Health Insurance, as well as assistance from several centers in Italy and England, significant success was achieved in the development of transplantation medicine. Each year, the members of the transplantation team at the Dr. Vukan Čupić Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia perform 18–26 hematopoietic stem cell transplantations, both autologous and allogeneic (from an identical related donor, unrelated matched donor, related partially matched donor, related and unrelated cord blood).

Keywords: children; hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Serbia