Marrow, blood donors needed

Members of the Caltech community are invited to help address the critical need for potential bone-marrow donors by having their tissue typed and added to a nationwide registry. The City of Hope will hold a tissue-typing and blood drive on Friday, January 24, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Winnett lounge.

According to the City of Hope, each year thousands of patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, or other blood diseases are told they need a bone marrow or blood stem-cell transplant. For those who don’t have siblings with identical marrow tissue, their only chance may be to find an unrelated matching donor, most likely from the same ethnic background.

Although about 100 people receive marrow or blood stem-cell transplants each month, there are several times that number who could also benefit from such a procedure. With odds of just one in 20,000 of a patient finding an unrelated matching donor, the City of Hope Blood Donor/Apheresis Center works together with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to help increase those chances. The two organizations facilitate unrelated marrow and blood stem-cell transplants by recruiting and educating donors from across the country.

Potential marrow donors of all ethnicities are needed, and must be 18 to 60 years old and in general good health. Joining the pool of potential donors requires a simple blood test to identify the donor’s tissue type, which is then entered and maintained in the NMDP registry. Being registered does not obligate anyone to donate marrow; if a potential donor’s tissue is matched to that of a patient, she or he will be contacted for additional tests and to make a final decision about whether to donate.
The drive will also help the City of Hope’s ongoing need for blood and blood components such as platelets and white cells. To make an appointment to be tested for marrow donation and/or to donate blood, please contact Magnolia Ycasas at ext. 8095 or Magnolia.Ycasas@caltech.edu. For more information on marrow donation, visit www.cityofhope.org/bmtweb/trans_fset.htm.
•