One Thousandth Blood Stem Cell Donation at the Red Cross
Published: Thursday, Sep 14th 2023, 06:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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The University Hospital of Basel recently received its thousandth blood stem cell donation, meaning that a thousand people in Switzerland have contributed to saving the life of someone with a life-threatening blood disease such as leukemia. The first donation of stem cells from bone marrow was made in 1992, according to the Swiss Red Cross (SRK). Currently, around 180,000 people are registered in the stem cell donation registry, which is connected to registries around the world, increasing the chances of finding a suitable donor for those in need. Despite this, a suitable donor cannot be found for one in four people suffering from a blood disease. In over 55 countries, 41 million donors are registered. The discovery of HLA markers (tissue markers) by French scientist Jean Dausset brought a turning point in the treatment of leukemia, as it enabled the transplantation of stem cells from another person. HLA markers are different in each person, and for a successful transplantation, they must be very similar so that the body of the patient does not reject the foreign stem cells. Young people aged 18 and over are especially sought after for stem cell donations.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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