Information About Stem Cell Donation

Information about stem cell donation

For patients with a malignant blood disease such as leukemia, a stem cell donation is often the only chance of help or a cure. Anyone who would like to register as a possible donor of stem cells in order to be available for a life-saving stem cell transplant should contact a donation center. You can find a list of donor centers here.

The donor makes a stem cell donation voluntarily and free of charge. In principle, there are no costs for the donor.

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Who is eligible as a donor?

For allogeneic stem cell transplantation, not only siblings but also unrelated people can be eligible for a donation. Alternatively, the stem cell transplant can also be performed with umbilical cord blood.

Unrelated stem cell / bone marrow donation

Healthy people between the ages of 18 and 55 are eligible as voluntary donors of stem cells. The registration of donors of stem cells takes place in Austria in the donation centers and is possible up to an age of 35 years. Younger people are best suited because of the better quality of stem cells. Every donor must be fully informed about the purpose, implementation and potential dangers of stem cell donation by a doctor at the donor center. The doctor also examines the suitability for donation. A blood sample or a cheek swab is taken for tissue typing. After the potential donor has been registered, the data is recorded anonymously in the Austrian stem cell register.

The donor data is thus also available worldwide for search queries. From this point onwards, the donor can be asked for a stem cell donation anywhere in the world. The donor has the right to withdraw from the willingness to donate stem cells at any time. However, withdrawing immediately before a planned donation can expose the recipient of the stem cells to immediate mortal danger.

Donation of umbilical cord blood

For the charitable donation of cord blood (CB), the mother's consent must be obtained in writing after extensive information. This should be done in prenatal care after the 22nd week of pregnancy, ideally during the mother-child passport examination in the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. Mother and child must also be able to donate.

Process of a stem cell donation

The Austrian Stem Cell Register (SZR) takes over the search for a suitable donor at the request of a transplant center. The SDR informs the respective donor center if the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) characteristics of a registered donor match those of a patient. The donor center then informs the donor and organizes the next steps.

The donor will be medically examined and informed about the stem cell collection process. After the renewed declaration of consent and if the result of the examination is positive, the stem cell collection can be started in a stem cell collection center. Stem cells are obtained immediately before the stem cell transplant. This procedure ensures the anonymity of the donor and patient in all facilities.

The stem cell donation can be obtained in different ways:

• In the most common type of peripheral stem cell donation, the donor receives a growth factor for five days in order to produce more blood stem cells. The stem cells are then removed on an outpatient basis using stem cell apheresis. The process takes about five hours. The stem cell donation is then processed for transplantation. As a side effect of treatment with growth factors, headache and pain in the limbs may occur, which will subside shortly after treatment. The donor's follow-up checks are arranged by the donor center. Annual blood tests should be done for at least ten years.
• In the case of bone marrow donations, which are carried out less frequently, about one to 1.5 liters of bone marrow are removed in a stationary patient under general anesthesia by means of a puncture in the pelvic bones. The process takes about an hour. The bone marrow donation is then prepared for transplantation. The donor can usually leave the hospital the next day. The bone marrow forms completely in a few weeks. Bruising can occur as a result of the small punctures. General anesthesia is associated with the usual risk of anesthesia. The donor's follow-up checks are arranged by the donor center. Annual blood tests should be done for at least ten years.
• With umbilical cord blood donation, after the baby has been cordoned off, stem cells remaining in the placenta are obtained from the umbilical cord blood. This residual blood is usually discarded with the placenta as the child does not need it. After the umbilical cord blood has been taken, the stem cell preparation is processed. A blood sample from the mother shortly before or after the birth is used to check for possible infections that would also affect the umbilical cord preparation.

Where can I donate stem cells?

Anyone who would like to register as a possible donor of stem cells in order to be available for a life-saving stem cell transplant should contact a donation center.

The donor makes a stem cell donation voluntarily and free of charge. In principle, there are no costs for the donor.