BACKGROUND.

Hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSC), one of the most successful and important therapeutic tools, to cure sick people with blood diseases consists of a transplant of "primitive cells" from which cellular elements of the blood, like red, white blood cells and platelets derive. HSC are present in the tissue of every bone cavity in the body. This tissue is called the  bone marrow and has no relation at all with the  spinal cord, that belongs to the nervous tissue. By the end of the 80´s,  Elaine Gluckman in France, discovered  the existence of HSC also in the blood of umbilical cord (UCB). These cells have  the ability to replenish the bone marrow of a patient as well. UCB cells also give raise to the mature blood elements that are the main components of the immunological system which protects us against exterior attacks.

For this reason, as it is well described in the worldwide literature,  certain illnesses can be cured with an HSC transplant, using cells from different sources: bone marrow, mobilized stem cells  from the bone marrow to the blood  stream  (donated by apheresis, a procedure like the one used to donate platelets) and UCB cells, also called placental blood.  The diseases that can be treated with this procedure are: high risk acute and chronic leukemias, lymphomas resulting from genetic alterations, that cannot be cured with chemo therapy or radiotherapy,  genetic immunofeficiencies (of clear genetic origin and not infectious like AIDS) such as Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome, Chediak - Higashi and severe combined immunodeficiency among others; other genetic non-malignant disorders are also treated

The latter include  severe anemia, Fanconi anemia, myelodisplastic syndrome, multiple myeloma, genetic diseases or innate errors of metabolism such as adrenolukodistrophy, osteopetrosis, Hurler syndrome.  (International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry, 2003).

Figure 1. Clinical Indications for alogenicall bone marrow transplant 2003. World Data (Source IBMTR, 2003)

For this type of transplant it is necessary to find an identical donor to the patient; it can be within the family or in the international bone marrow donors registries. It is necesssary to study and define the HLA genes located in chromosome 6 that every person inherits from their parents (between 12 and 16 molecules, 50% from the mother and 50% from the father). the discovery of these genes in humans in 1952  awaded  Professor Jean Dausset, the Nobel Prize  of Phisiology and Medicine in 1980 ( he shared it with Professor Baruj Benacerrafand George Snell, for other discoveries made in genetics).

Until July 2005 2142 officially described variants of HLA existed. Their genetic diversity is so extraordinary that each individual (without a family tie) become unique. So, there exists more than 18 billion possible genetic combinations.

For this reason and because of the allele distribution which is a characteristic of each ethnic group, it is scientifically established that the possibility of a patient finding an HLA compatible sibling donor is not more than 25%. If there is not a compatible donor among healthy siblings, the next step to find one, in accordance to the international criteria is to search among parents looking for not more than one mismatch (35%).

What happens to the 60 or 70% of the patients who do not find a donor within their family? The answer to this problem was the creation of the International Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registries. Genetic data of all Registries are available at the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW, www.bmdw.org)

Registry of an altruist donor in DONORMO, during the  Hispano-American University donors campaign.

In Latin America there are only two official registries part of BMDW, the first incorporated was DONORMO in Mexico, started by Dr. Clara Gorodezky and her team in 1989, which so far has over 5,100 registered donors. The second is  in Argentina. The technical place where all studies are made and where DONORMO and BACECU are found, is the Department of Immunology and Immunogenetics, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicas, (InDRE), Secretary of Health.

The official registries grouped in the international net created in 1988 by Professor Jon J. Van Rood BMDW/World Marrow Donors Association/WMDA, located in the Netherlands, allow us to search among the  almost 10 million donors (until Sept., 2005) of different ethnical backgrounds,  to be able to offer a compatible donor to any patient around the world.

At DONORMO we do our best to include donors from every part of Mexico since the genetical background is different according to geographical regions. The more Mexican  Mestizo donors included in the registry, the more opportunities we will have to offer  an opportunity of life to Mexican patients and to those of Hispanic origin, Native-American  and in general of Mediterranean ancestry.

We also recommend you to read  the following documents in celebration of the 10 Million Donors World Wide.

1. A fact Sheet

2. Statement Jon J Van Rood

3. Future Goals.

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