Donor Search

If you have a disease which requires a stem cell transplant, your physician will initiate a search for a matching donor.  The "match" between patient and donor is made on the basis of HLA type matching.  HLA types, which stand for Human Leukocyte Antigens, are explained elsewhere.

Listed below are the major national and international registries of donors.  Nowadays most of the registries include donors of both bone marrow (an adult volunteer) and cord blood (a collection in a bank).

• Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) - International
• Caitlin Raymond International Registry (CRIR) - International
• DKMS - Germany
  
• National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) - United States
• Netcord - International

Some registries have on-line search engines which allow patients to look up preliminary matches via the internet.  These search tools are based on a low resolution HLA type and do not constitute exact matches.  Moreover, the choice of the best stem cell source for the transplant is very complex and changes with ongoing research.  The transplant doctor and the search coordinator at the registry work together on this decision.

The following are links to pages which provide an HLA match search:

• BMDW
• Gift of Life
  
• NMDP
  
• New York Blood Center