to register / tissue typing
Who can register as a blood stem cell donor and become a potential donor?
Any healthy person who meets the criteria for donating blood, and is between the ages of 18 and 45 can register as a donor. But the actual donation can be made from age 18 until age 60.
What is tissue typing and how is it done?
In tissue typing, the HLA-antigens are determined through a blood or saliva sample. Some regional blood donation services conduct the first typing of HLA-A and HLA-B antigens themselves. All antigens relevant for a transplantation (HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DR) are ascertained at the National Reference Laboratory for Histocompatibility in Geneva.
Is entry into the register of Blood Stem Cells voluntary?
The entry into the register is voluntary. It happens after an individual indicates his or her intention to register, and after the results of the tissue typing are known and blood donation compatibility is confirmed (e.g., infection marker).
Will I be detained on my next trip to the USA because of the databank?
No, because your data is not communicated to either national or international authorities. The data is only used for searching for donors and always remains anonymous in communications. Only your HLA-typing (tissue markers), gender and birth date is saved, no other data about you.
Can I depend on my data being handled in a trustworthy fashion?
As with blood donation, the donor and recipient of blood stem cells may not know each other. This rule serves to protect the privacy of the donor and recipient. Therefore, the personal data of the donor remains anonymous, only a donor number is used in the registry of Swiss Blood Stem Cells as well as communications with the transplantation center.
What exactly happens with my data when I make myself available as a donor?
This data is made anonymous and saved in the register of Blood Stem Cells and is made available in an international databank for the search for a suitable donor.
How are my blood stem cells identified? How can it be determined if I'm eligible?
The blood stem cells themselves are not identified. The conformance of the tissue markers (HLA) between the donor and recipient is crucial to the success of a blood stem cells transplantation. Otherwise the body rejects the foreign blood stem cells or the blood stem cells reject the foreign body. Thus, with every registered blood stem cell donor, a tissue typing is done. This data is then- anonymously- entered into a worldwide databank and, when there is a request, is compared to a patient's tissue typing.