University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics has a long history of innovation in bone marrow transplantation. In 1968, the first successful allogeneic bone marrow transplants done worldwide for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency were performed simultaneously at UW-Madison and UM-Minneapolis. The Bone Marrow Transplant Program was officially formed in 1981, and all patients at that time were adults who received HLA identical transplants from a related donor. One year later the program was expanded to include children. In 1991, the first National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) facilitated bone marrow transplant from a matched unrelated donor was performed, marking the beginning of the allogeneic unrelated BMT program. The UWHC Bone Marrow Transplant program remains an approved transplant and collection center for the NMDP. In 1997, UW performed its first cord blood stem cell transplant and in 2001 performed its first non-myeloablative and outpatient transplants. To date, 647 allogeneic related and unrelated transplants have been performed at UWHC.

Allogeneic transplants are now performed for Acute Nonlymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, Myelodysplasia, Refractory Hodgkin's Disease, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Aplastic Anemia, Inherited Immunodeficiency Disorders and Multiple Myeloma.

In 1986, Dr. Walter Longo, who subsequently expanded the program to treat patients with a variety of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, performed the first adult autologous bone marrow transplant for recurrent melanoma. Additionally, in 1995, the peripheral blood stem cell apheresis program was initiated, making peripheral blood stem cell apheresis the primary method of collecting progenitor cells for autologous transplantation. The BMT Program has it's own marrow-processing laboratory designated for progenitor cell processing and cryopreservation under Dr. Juckett's supervision in conjunction with UWHC clinical laboratories. To date, 508 autologous bone marrow and/or peripheral blood stem cell transplants have been performed at UWHC.

Autologous transplants are now performed for Hodgkin's Disease, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Acute Nonlymphocytic Leukemia, Neuroblastoma, Testicular Cancer, Multiple Myeloma, and selected pediatric solid tumors.

The UWHC Bone Marrow Transplant Program is an approved allogeneic and autologous transplant center by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the Children's Cancer Group (CCG). The National Cancer Institute (NCI) federally funds both cooperative groups. Additionally, the program has current accreditation through the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapies.