For bone marrow transplantation, the blood group of the recipient and the donor does not need to be the same. Transplantation can also be done between people with different blood groups. Any healthy person whose tissue group antigens (HLA) match yours can be a donor. Since siblings have higher tissue compatibility; often this person can be your sibling. Less likely, there may be parents, children, and other relatives.
Who Can Be a Donor?
For bone marrow transplantation, the blood group of the recipient and the donor does not need to be the same. It is also possible to transfer between individuals. What matters is how similar the tissue group antigens are between the patient and the donor (recipient and donor). Tissue compatibility is among the factors directly affecting the success of transplantation.
The risk of developing a condition called "graft versus host disease" GVHD increases in tissue incompatibility. In GVHD, after transplantation, a war begins between the donor's defense cells and the patient's tissues and organs. In this case, the patient's organs and tissues may be severely damaged.
If a suitable donor cannot be found within the family, screening is initiated in voluntary donor banks. These voluntary donors are called "non-kin donors". If the donors registered in the country are not compatible, foreign donors can also be searched. The stem cell volunteer donors in our country have exceeded 100,000 thanks to TÜRKÖK, our center regularly screens donors from TÜRKÖK and performs bone marrow transplantation from Turkish volunteer donors.
What are the Conditions for Being a Non-Related Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Donor? ?
In our country, TÜRKÖK accepts every healthy person between the ages of 18 and 50 and weighing at least 50 kg as a stem cell donor. For this, first of all, blood samples are taken from the donor candidates and examined. If no disease is detected, the tissue type is determined and your information is transferred to the bone marrow bank. ir (peripheral stem cell collection method, bone marrow collection method). Then, your eligibility for the procedure is determined after your physical examination and laboratory evaluation according to your continued volunteering status.
How to Understand that a Candidate for Stem Cell Transplantation Donor is Eligible?
A small amount (2-4 ml) blood is taken and it is checked whether there is tissue group compatibility with special methods in the laboratory located in Gayrettepe, affiliated to Group Florence Nigtingale Hospitals, approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. Whether there is tissue compatibility or not can be determined within 3-5 working days.
How to Take Bone Marrow?
Stem cell collection from bone marrow is performed under general anesthesia in operating room conditions. With special needles, the bone is entered and the bone marrow is drawn into the injectors. Bone marrow stem cells taken in a certain amount are given intravenously to the patient after various filtering processes. Rapid production of blood cells from healthy stem cells begins within the body.
How to Collect Stem Cells from Peripheral Blood (Peripheral Blood)?
Instead of taking samples from the bone marrow under general anesthesia, from the surrounding blood (ie from the blood in the veins) ) it is also possible to collect stem cells. For this purpose, a drug called G-CSF (growth factor) is used for 4 to 6 days. Then, with the help of a device (apheresis device), stem cells are collected from the donor's blood.
Read: 0
