This is good. Now, if they could only improve this to reprogram patient’s own stem cells, it would be even better.
Exactly. They don't say why they didn't use the patient's own bone marrow, but I suspect it is probably because 1) it put all the patients on the same playing field, eliminating some confounding factors, or 2) it would require another procedure to extract it and process it, significantly increasing the cost, or both. If you can use two bone marrow donors for 18 patients, as they did, that probably lowers the cost tremendously. However, one thing I'd be interested in knowing is if the recipients have to take anti-rejection drugs, since the stem cells aren't their own. If they do, then the cost and risk of using the patient's own stem cells, as compared to the cost and risk of using a donor's, might tip in favor of the patient's own.