Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Bone Marrow
Database
Who is able to be a Marrow Donor
Donors on the world
Information for donors

Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Urszula Jaworska Foundation's Bone Marrow Registry has been founded in 1997. Nowadays we can say that our registry has recorded about 12 000 donors. As we know, collecting such a number of researched people makes it the largest enterprise of that kind in Poland. In 1999, thanks to our Registry, first unrelated donor had been found for polish receiver. From this time, till 2007, donors from our Registry have participated on 28 bone marrow transplantations.

Bone Marrow
Bone marrow fills the cavities of bones. It is the soft, spongy material, found in the center of bones. We can name it "a gift of life". It produces blood - every day hundreds of millions cells. When withdrawn from the bone cavity, it looks like blood. Circulating red blood cells (RBCs, erythrocytes) carry oxygen from the lungs to all tissues. White blood cells (WBCs, leukocytes) are part of the immune system are responsible for fighting infections. Platelets (thrombocytes) are cells that help prevent bleeding.
Besides bone marrow includes hematopoietic cells. In spite of fact that cells of this kind are very rare (only 0,1% of all human cells), they are very important, because of responsibility for formation of blood cells, mainly erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. Some hematopoietic cells have unique ability of self-renewal to reform bone marrow.
Bone marrow transplantation creates possibility to save human life in such kinds of illness like - leukemia, many species of cancer or anaemia. Unfortunately bone marrow or hematopoietic cells can not be produced outside of human body. That is why there is still a need of bone marrow donors, who can bring disinterestly help to sick people.

Database
Bone Marrow Registries are specyfical databases, where HLA information is collecting and recording. Antigens this are places or substances responsible for immunology reaction of organism. Matching in first HLA class is the lower grade of according in process of searching a donor. This data are protected by law and accessible only for transplantation centers. Every donor, who has been recorded in Bone Marrow Register, has a specyfical ID. Only in this way information can be exchange.
It is very hard to find an adequate donor. His, or her, HLA sequence must be identical or very similar with receiver's. Thanks to that, human organism can recognize own cells, viruses and bacteria. First of them are accepted, the second are eliminated. In case when patient will be transplanted with inadequate HLA marrow, his organism will recognize transplant as a enemy. Then patient can die. Probability of finding unrelated donor is 1:25000. That is why, the most important factor of register's effectivity is its size.

Who is able to be a Marrow Donor
You must be between the ages of 18 and 50, in general good health. The qualification for marrow donation is the same like for the blood donation, but you have to be absolutly decided to donate bone marrow. If you fulfill such a criteria you are asked to contact Urszula Jaworska Foundation. You will be given additional information. After the moment when the blood tests will been completed, your data will be recorded in the Registry database.
In case when a patient matching your data will be identified you will be asked for the donation. The transplantation of your marrow may save someone's life.
Donor and recipient have to stay unknow for each other for at least one year. After that period, there is a possibility to arange a meeting, but only for request from both sides, and with representatives of institutions participating during organizing operation.

Bone Marrow Donors on the world
Such enterprises as Urszula Jaworska's Registry of Bone Marrow Donors, are working in many countries on the whole world. Before marrow will be transplanted, there is a necessary to find a donor, which genetic data have to be identical to patient's. Probability of finding unrelated donor is 1:25000. That is why, the most important factor of registry's effectivity is its size. Basing on information from Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide we can say that on the world have been registred about 11 043 906 donors divided in 97 registries banks of blood.
In Poland there are about 35 100 donors recorded. We can compare this situation with other countries:
Australia and New Zealand - more than 161 000 donors
Canada - about 222 000 donors
Cyprus - about 100 000 donors
Czech Republic - more than 50 000 donors
Germany - about 3 000 000 donors
Hong Kong - about 56 000 donors
Israel - more than 321 000 donors
Japan - about 270 000 donors
Spain - about 58 000 donors
Taiwan - about 268 000 donors
Great Britain - about 680 000 donors
USA - about 4 600 000 donors

For more detailed information please visit Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide site - www.bmdw.org

Information for donors