New partnership brings stem cell donation to Scotland

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has announced it will be working in partnership with blood cancer charity DKMS.

DKMS aim is to provide a matching donor for every blood cancer patient in need of a blood stem cell donation. The key objective of the SNBTS / DKMS collaboration is for unrelated stem cell donations to be collected in Scotland. Currently, DKMS UK stem cell donors must travel to Sheffield or London to give their donation. SNBTS and DKMS are planning for donations to be collected at the SNBTS Edinburgh Clinical Apheresis Unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), making stem cell donations more accessible for the people of Scotland. The SNBTS Edinburgh Clinical Apheresis Unit will be the first centre in Scotland to collect unrelated stem cell donations from volunteer registry donors.

SNBTS and DKMS expect to welcome their first donor in the coming weeks, and expect to assess around 100 donors a year. Donors will come from the DKMS UK register which currently has over 950,000 donors on its database.

Dr Lynn Manson, SNBTS Clinical Lead for Therapeutic Apheresis Services, says, "There is a clearly defined need for this important facility to open in Scotland. As the expert in blood, platelet, plasma and cell collection, SNBTS has transferrable expertise to support the collection of stem cells from unrelated donors. An Edinburgh facility will reduce the travel time required for donors, and help to ensure stem cell donations are available when needed."

Helen Kelly, DKMS, says, "We are delighted to be working with SNBTS. This initiative will support more donors being able to donate their stem cells in Scotland, reducing the barriers of extensive travel and time off work. This collaboration will give more people with blood cancer and blood disorders a second chance at life."

• Sign up to the DKMS register