Expanding the Impact of Bone Marrow Transplants

Bone marrow transplants, also known as a stem cell transplant, are sometimes the only line of treatment for patients facing blood cancers and other diseases. Especially diseases that compromise the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. Replacing damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells restores the body’s ability to generate red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. These are essential for treating more than 75 diseases, including multiple types of leukemias, lymphomas, and other blood disorders.

Previously, living donors were the only means for obtaining a bone marrow transplant, relying on individuals registering themselves as donors. Registered donors had to order a cheek swab kit, submit their results, and enter a donor registry database where a match could potentially be found for a patient in need.

Now, thanks to a pioneering partnership between Donor Alliance and Ossium Health, the potential for bone marrow donation has expanded. This collaboration allows recovery of bone marrow from organ and tissue donors, expanding the donor pool beyond living donors and giving more people hope, including those suffering from blood diseases.

What is a Bone Marrow Transplant?

Bone marrow, located within the bones, produces stem cells that develop into blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen. White blood cells fight infection. While platelets control bleeding. Blood diseases can compromise bone marrow, leaving the body unable to sustain healthy blood cell production.

A bone marrow transplant infuses a patient with healthy stem cells, which can take over the function of producing vital blood cells. This is especially critical for patients undergoing aggressive treatments like chemotherapy, which can damage their bone marrow. A bone marrow transplant is a highly effective treatment, and for many, it’s the only curative option.

Types of Bone Marrow Transplants

There are two main types of bone marrow transplants:

1. Autologous Transplant: In an autologous transplant, doctors collect and store the patient’s own stem cells before treatments like chemotherapy. This approach helps eliminate concerns about donor compatibility since there’s no risk of rejection or mismatch. For this approach, the body must be producing enough healthy bone marrow cells that can be gathered, frozen, and preserved for future use.
2. Allogeneic Transplant: This type of stem cell transplant involves using healthy blood stem cells from a donor. It replaces bone marrow not producing enough healthy blood cells. The stem cells can be collected from the donor’s blood, bone marrow within the hipbone, or from a donated umbilical cord. Matching the donor cells is critical to reduce the risk of complications and rejection.

The Role of Donor Registries and Matching

Matching donors to transplant recipients is crucial, particularly for allogeneic transplants. Registries like NMDP (formerly Be the Match) help connect patients with suitable donors. They often focus on younger donors (typically between 18-40 years old) due to their stem cells’ higher effectiveness.

However, finding a match isn’t always easy, especially for those from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Increasing donor diversity remains a critical goal for improving transplant success rates for underrepresented communities.

Innovative Cell Recovery Through Organ Donation

The partnership between Donor Alliance and Ossium Health is a big step forward in bone marrow transplants. Together, we are finding new ways to make organ and tissue donations go even further through bone marrow. This means more people will have a chance to find the match they need for lifesaving treatment. By combining bone marrow transplants with organ and tissue donation, they are giving hope to more people and saving and healing more lives.