An overview of the Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Immunogenetics
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• Established in 1991, the Czech Bone Marrow Donor registry (CBMD) operates within the National HLA centre.
• CBMD is internationally integrated through Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) and the European Donor Secretariat (E.D.S) network.
• Donor recruitment utilizes blood transfusion units, mass media, and adheres to European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the establishment and operational scope of the CBMD.
• To highlight CBMD's role in facilitating unrelated donor stem cell and bone marrow transplantation.
• To showcase CBMD's international collaboration and request handling capacity.

Main Methods:

• Registration of potential bone marrow donors typed for HLA-A, B loci.
• Maintenance of a registry including frozen cord blood units.
• Processing of international search requests via the E.D.S network.

Main Results:

• Over 7,000 potential bone marrow donors registered.
• Nearly 20,000 international requests processed since 1991.
• In the last two years, 7 CBMD donors contributed to transplants (5 bone marrow, 1 PBSC, 1 bone marrow + PBSC).
• Over 20 unrelated donor transplantations performed in Prague.

Conclusions:

• CBMD is a key contributor to unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
• The registry's international cooperation and data management are crucial for successful transplants.
• CBMD plays a vital role in supporting Czech transplant centers and patients.