Poor stem cell harvest may not always be related to poor mobilization: lessons gained from a mobilization study in beta-thalassemia major patients

BACKGROUND Hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and leukapheresis in adult beta-thalassemia patients have been recently optimized in the context of clinical trials for obtaining hematopoietic stem cells for thalassemia gene therapy. In some patients, however, CD34+ cell yield was poor despite successful mobilization and the modification of apheresis settings was mandatory for harvest rescue.