Ex vivo expanded allogeneic cord blood progenitor cell transplantation with a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen would cure autoimmune diseases.

Loss of self-tolerance is the basis for autoimmune disease. Autologous as well as allogeneic stem cell transplantation is increasingly being considered and used for therapy of autoimmune disease. Non-myeloablative conditioning has been shown in the context of malignant diseases to be feasible. Cord blood transplantation has been associated with significantly less graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) than other forms of allotransplantation. Ex-vivo expansion of this limited resource is increasingly becoming feasible. It is being hypothesized that ex-vivo expanded cord blood progenitor cell transplantation using a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen would be curative in autoimmune diseases.