Joining the registry

If you are committed to helping patients needing bone marrow transplant and want to join the registry, please read the information given below, complete and sign the registration and consent form. We'll be happy to answer any questions and clear any doubts that you may have.

Factors to consider before signing up

1. Eligibility criteria to join the registry:
   • You should be over 18yr of age and under 60yr, weigh over 55Kg and in good health.
   • If your answer to any of the following questions is "yes", you are considered to be at risk for either HIV / AIDS or Hepatitis and cannot be a stem cell donor.
     1. Have you ever been diagnosed with HIV or have you tested positive for HIV, the AIDS virus?
     2. Have you ever been diagnosed with Hepatitis B or C?
     3. In the past 5 years have you used a needle, even once, to take any illegal or non-prescribed drugs?
     4. In the past 5 years have you take money or drugs in exchange for sex?
     5. In the past 5 years have you had sex, even once, with another male? (for Males only)
2. The commitment to remain on the registry until age 60: Patients searching the Registry for an unrelated donor are counting on volunteers to be willing and accessible if ever identified as a match. Please keep this in mind if you decide to join.
3. Updating Donor contact information: The Registry is aware there may be genuine reasons for you to be unavailable when contacted. When patients are searching, however, time is crucial. If you have a change in address, a major change in long-term health, or a change in your commitment to be a potential donor, please notify the registry immediately. You may be periodically contacted in an effort to keep your address information current and to provide you with program updates.

The registration procedure

• A basic medical examination including health related questions, blood pressure and Hemoglobin will be done. This is to protect you as well as ensure that it would be safe to use your stem cells for transplant.
• If you are eligible, a sample of blood will be taken to do tissue typing and tests for blood transmittable infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C etc.
• You will have to give your personal identifying and contact information including name, P.A.N number, address, telephone numbers etc. You will also have to give information about two close relatives or friends who would help to contact you.

How it works

• Your tissue type and personal contact information will be listed in the Registry's donor database and compared with the tissue type of patients in need of a transplant.
• If you are a potential match, you will be contacted with a request to donate your stem cells.
• If you agree to donate your blood stem cells, the patient will undergo radiation or chemotherapy treatment. This will destroy his/her bone marrow entirely. This is a point of no return for the patient and he/she is dependant totally on receiving your stem cells.
• Stem cells will be collected from you and transplanted to the patient. Your stem cell will now repopulate the bone marrow of the patient, multiply and start producing the three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Blood Stem Cell Donation process

• This takes place at a blood bank. To mobilize and bring the stem cells from the bone marrow to the circulating bloodstream, donors will receive daily injections of Growth Hormone for five days before the collection.
• During apheresis blood collection, a small quantity (less than 200ml) of your blood is removed through a sterile needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the stem cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm.
• Side effects and recovery.
  • You may have headache, bone or muscle aches. These are side effects of the Growth Hormone injections which disappear shortly after the stem cell collection. There are no long term side effects.
  • Just like blood donation, rarely bruising and pain around the site of the blood draw or fainting can occur which are taken care of by the medical staff.

Please also consider paying for your Tissue (HLA) Typing

• The cost of Tissue (HLA) Typing in India per person is Rs.6000.00.
• We request potential donors to consider full or part funding (Rs.2000 or more) as a donation to BMST to defray the expenses. You can claim Income Tax exemption under section 80G for your donation.
• For those potential stem cell donors who are unable to consider funding we will look for alternate funding sources.

Potential Benefits

Registering as a potential donor will not benefit you directly in any way.
But the benefits to the patient can be enormous- the difference between Life & Death!!

Reimbursements

• You will not be paid for joining as a potential donor nor for donation of blood stem cells, other than reimbursement for travel and other incidental expenses if any.
• If you pay for the cost of your initial tissue typing, it will be reimbursed at the time of donation of blood stem cells.

Confidentiality.

Your tissue type and blood sample will be identified by a code and stored separately from your personal information. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential, and used only to locate you if you are identified as a potential matched donor for a patient. It will not be disclosed to the transplant center, the patients or their families.

Potential other requests

As a volunteer donor, you may be contacted about donating other types of blood products, such as whole blood or platelets for a patient, or asked if you would like to participate in a research project. If you are contacted for one of these types of requests, you will be given more information and asked to sign another consent form. You are free to say no to any of these requests.

By signing the Donor Registration and Consent Form you are:

1. Registering as a potential blood stem cell donor.
2. Giving the Registry permission to collect and store your personal identifying and contact information and to share this information with other national & international Registries.
3. Giving the Registry permission to collect and store your blood sample for testing.
4. Giving the Registry permission to determine if you are a match for a searching patient.