Bone marrow is mainly used to make blood cells : red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It is also used in medicine for stem cell and bone marrow transplants to help replace damaged marrow after diseases like cancer or after treatments such as chemotherapy.

What it does

Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside many bones that produces the body’s blood-forming stem cells. Those stem cells develop into the cells that carry oxygen, fight infection, and stop bleeding.

Medical uses

Doctors may use bone marrow or bone-marrow-derived stem cells to:

  • Treat blood cancers and some other blood disorders through transplant.
  • Restore marrow after high-dose chemotherapy or radiation.
  • Support research and some newer therapies that aim to repair tissue or modulate the immune system.

In simple terms

Think of bone marrow as the body’s blood-cell factory. When that factory is damaged, a transplant can help rebuild it with healthy stem cells.