Mwita RP, Özdemir Ö. Stem cell transplantation in immuno-hematologic and infectious diseases. World J Transplant 2026; 16(1): 114592 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.114592]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Öner Özdemir, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya Research and Training Hospital, Adnan Menderes Cad, Adapazarı 54100, Sakarya, Türkiye. ozdemir_oner@hotmail.com
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Immunology
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 18, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 14, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Transplantation
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2220-3230
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Mwita RP, Özdemir Ö. Stem cell transplantation in immuno-hematologic and infectious diseases. World J Transplant 2026; 16(1): 114592 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.114592]
World J Transplant. Mar 18, 2026; 16(1): 114592 Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.114592
Stem cell transplantation in immuno-hematologic and infectious diseases
Rhobi Peter Mwita, Öner Özdemir
Rhobi Peter Mwita, Department of Pediatrics, Sakarya University, Sakarya 54100, Türkiye
Öner Özdemir, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Adapazarı 54100, Sakarya, Türkiye
Author contributions: Mwita RP and Özdemir Ö contributed to the manuscript writing, revision, and approved the final manuscript publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Öner Özdemir, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya Research and Training Hospital, Adnan Menderes Cad, Adapazarı 54100, Sakarya, Türkiye. ozdemir_oner@hotmail.com
Received: September 24, 2025 Revised: October 24, 2025 Accepted: December 31, 2025 Published online: March 18, 2026 Processing time: 113 Days and 2 Hours
Abstract
Stem cells are pluripotent cells that can divide and differentiate, forming many different types of cells. Stem cells can be obtained from various sources, with embryonic stem cells being the most advantageous as they possess a broad dividing potential. When the standard treatment proves ineffective, stem cells are typically utilized as a final option. Infections and childhood malignancies are among the significant causes of mortality in the pediatric population. Stem cell therapy has shown a decrease in morbidity and mortality when used in patients with favorable conditions like young age and lack of comorbidities. This review discusses how stem cells are prepared and used in treating pediatric diseases like X-linked agammaglobulinemia, diabetes mellitus, aplastic anemia, infections, and leukemia. Technological advancement has played a significant role in producing more specific stem cells using genetic modification methods like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9, which produce stem cells that target a particular cell type, e.g., myocytes and hematopoietic cells, further increasing the effectiveness of the therapy. We address the obstacles faced when conducting research related to stem cells, including ethical and legal issues, which hinder the use of this therapy in some fields. We also indicate recommendations for increasing the efficacy of stem cell therapy in the pediatric population.
Core Tip: Treatment of some diseases in the pediatric population can be ineffective with standard therapy. The use of stem cells to treat various diseases in this population has increased over the last few years due to technological and genetic advancements that have allowed more targeted therapies to be used. Ethical and legal issues remain a significant hindrance in research and clinical studies related to stem cells.
