Call for bone marrow donors: which donor profiles are most important?

The French Biomedicine Agency is currently seeing a significant surge in pre-registrations for the voluntary bone marrow donor registry, following a call for donations launched by the family of a sick child. The Agency, which stands in solidarity with the parents, warmly welcomes this remarkable outpouring of support.

Every year, thousands of patients—both adults and children—suffering from serious blood diseases, such as leukemia or sickle cell disease, need a bone marrow transplant to have a chance at recovery.

As is often the case with donation appeals, the majority of pre-registrations received in recent days have come from women aged 30 to 35. However, the profiles most sought after by transplant doctors are people aged 18 to 25, as their cells offer a better chance of success. It is these profiles that doctors prioritize for donation when they have been identified as compatible with a patient awaiting a transplant.

Women, on the other hand, especially those over 30, are called upon less frequently, particularly because antibodies developed during pregnancy—whether carried to term or not—complicate the transplant process.

That is why, to ensure optimal patient care, it is necessary to recruit more donors aged 18 to 25, and particularly men, who remain underrepresented in the registry.

Their registration requests are therefore processed as a priority. Registration in the registry is a process that requires sending a saliva sample, which is then analyzed by biologists to establish the donor’s genetic profile (HLA typing). Only after these various steps—which can take several weeks—are volunteers registered as donors with the prospect of being called upon for a patient.

The French Biomedicine Agency reminds the public that registering as a bone marrow donor is a long-term commitment to saving the life of an anonymous patient. This is not a directed donation; a registered volunteer is only called upon to donate if a match is eventually identified with a patient awaiting a transplant.

The French registry currently has over 430,000 donors and is connected to 80 registries in other countries, providing a global pool of 43 million potential donors. It is this principle of international solidarity that increases the likelihood of finding a compatible donor for every patient, regardless of their country of residence.

To learn more and registerwww.dondemoelleosseuse.fr