STEM CELL SEARCHES MADE EASIER IN SA

The SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has joined forces with Netcells, the largest private cord-blood bank in Africa, which will be making cord blood available to patients in need of a bone-marrow transplant. Since the ‘90s, advances in umbilical-cord-blood technology have made cord-blood transplants a viable alternative to conventional bone-marrow or stem cell transplants, but up till now, access has been a challenge.

South Africa doesn’t have a public cord-blood bank. This partnership will make it easier for especially ethnic patients to find matches. “Currently, there is only a one in 100 000 chance of finding a bonemarrow stem-cell donor match for patients of European descent. The odds drop even further for patients of other races due to the low donor numbers from these groups,” says SABMR deputy director Jane Ward. “Finding donor matches for patients of mixed ethnic race is even more challenging. “South Africa has one of the most culturally diverse groups of people, which translates into an extensive genetic diversity. Most bone-marrow registries around the world, including us, struggle to increase the donor pool among ethnic populations, and when volunteers do sign up, there is an added risk that they are unavailable when they’re needed.

Netcells’ community stem-cell bank offers subsidised fees in an effort to boost cord-blood banking. In addition, existing cord-blood units will be made available to the SABMR once the storage period expires, with the parents’ consent.

This will provide local (and overseas) patients with a better chance of finding a matched donor.

Collecting stem cells at birth is easy and painless. Since stem cells are usually discarded as medical waste, collecting them should not conflict with any moral, ethical or religious belief.

Thus far, more than 40 000 cordblood stem-cell transplants have been performed around the world – 23 of which were facilitated by the SABMR in SA.

For more info on cord-blood banking, visit nextbio.co.za/netcells, or if you’re interested in becoming a stem cell donor, email: donors@sabmr.co.za or visit sabmr.co.za/become-a-donor