How does the search for a blood stem cell donor work?

Looking for a matching stem cell donor is like looking for a needle in a haystack. When a blood cancer or blood disorder patient depends on a blood stem cell transplant to survive, they need a donor whose tissue characteristics are a 100 percent match, if possible. Search requests are sent to the German National Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ZKRD), and if a potential donor is found on the DKMS database, to match the patient, we will be informed and we will then contact the donor immediately.

One in ten patients in Germany and four in ten patients worldwide, still do not find a matching donor. That is why we need as many people as possible to register as a blood stem cell donor.

Another problem is that even if a matching donor is found, they simply might not be available to donate at the specific point in time.