You can save a life by becoming a stem cell donor!

Every 27 seconds, someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with blood cancer.

You could be someones second chance at life.

4 out of 10 people looking for an unrelated matching donor worldwide are not able to find a match. But you can help us change this.

How to become a Blood Stem Cell Donor?

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Only 30% of all patients are able to find a compatible stem cell donor within their family

You need more information?

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How does it work?

How does registration work?

1. Order a swab kit online

Answer a few simple questions about yourself to make sure you’ll be eligible to donate if needed. If it’s a yes, then you’ll be directed to a page where you can request your swab kit online.

2. Swab your cheeks, return your kit

Swab the inside of your cheeks and send the swabs back to us (there are instructions on the envelope that will be sent). The swabs will then be analyzed in our lab to determine your HLA (tissue) characteristics – this is how we match donors and patients.

3. We will add you to the registry

Once we have analyzed your samples, we will add you to the registry and you will be available for patients all around the world who are searching for a donor. Amazing!

How does a blood stem cell donation work?

You are a match

If you come up as a potential match for someone, the donation process can begin. Our team will be in touch as soon as possible.

Health check

DKMS-BMST will contact you and you will be asked to provide a blood sample for further testing. If the results confirm that you are a suitable donor, you will be asked to donate your stem cells.

Peripheral blood stem cell donation

Peripheral blood stem cell collection is safe and the most commonly used donation method today. Prior to the blood stem cell collection, the donor receives a daily injection of G-CSF for five consecutive days, to mobilize and build up the number of stem cells in the circulating bloodstream.

The patient receives your blood stem cells

The collected blood stem cells are transplanted to the patient, in a procedure similar to a blood transfusion.

A second chance at life

Your job is done and your incredible donation will help to give someone a second chance at life.

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Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection

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How to conduct a swab test?

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About DKMS

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Frequently asked questions about becoming a donor

What is blood cancer?

Blood cancer is the generic term for malignant diseases of the bone marrow or blood-forming system, in which normal blood formation is disturbed by the uncontrolled multiplication of malignant blood cells. Because of these cancer cells, the blood can no longer perform its vital tasks, such as fighting infections, transporting oxygen or stopping bleeding.

Curing blood cancer

Blood cancer patients can often only overcome the disease with the help of a stem cell donation from a suitable donor. In the case of leukaemia and malignant lymphomas, the transfer of healthy stem cells is even the only chance of a cure.

Leukaemia

A series of malignant diseases in which there is a pathologically increased proliferation of immature and therefore non-functional white blood cells. Malignant lymphomas are divided into Hodgkin's disease (lymphogranulomatosis) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphatic leukaemia) according to their different characteristics.

Lymphoma, malignant

Malignant alteration of lymphatic tissue with swelling of the lymph nodes and pathological enlargement of the spleen. Malignant lymphomas are divided according to their different characteristics into Hodgkin's disease (lymphogranulomatosis) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphatic leukemia), which originate from the lymph nodes.

Am I missing stem cells after the donation?

The body reproduces the stem cells within about two weeks. The procedure is comparable to a blood platelet donation and does not lead to a permanent loss of stem cells.

How do I know that my data is secure?

As the world’s largest network of blood stem cell donor centres, DKMS-BMST has a special responsibility to protect the personal and especially sensitive medical data that registered donors entrust to us. We take data privacy very seriously. It goes without saying that we fully comply with the statutory requirements of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but we have also committed to an even higher level of data privacy.

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Help us to register even more lifesavers

We’d love it if you could help us to get more people on the registry and thus give new hope for life to many blood cancer patients.

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