Why Alternative Donor Transplantation and What are the Different Options and Current Challenges?

When considering allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for a patient with a hematologic malignancy, the standard approach involves searching for an HLA matched related donor (MRD) or a matched unrelated donor (MUD). However, on the basis of average family size, less than 30% of patients will have an HLA-matched sibling donor.1,2 The use of HLA-matched unrelated donors widened the donor pool, but marched unrelated donor not unavailable to many individuals, particularly those in need of rapid transplantation for advanced diseases or belonging to many minority groups.
Source: Seminars in Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research