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Australia is facing a critical shortage of registered stem cell donors — and the solution lies with younger Australians, according to the Leukaemia Foundation.
The group estimates that around 1,000 people in the country are “urgently” waiting for a suitable donor match to help treat diseases like blood cancer.
Bill Stavreski, the head of research at the Leukaemia Foundation, said stem cells can be the sole option for many people with serious illnesses.
“They have a critical and urgent disease, whether it is leukaemia or lymphoma, and for many, this is the only treatment possible,” he told SBS Macedonian.
Relying on overseas donors
Stavreski said that people spending long times on waitlists face “detrimental” health outcomes.
“The majority of unrelated donors for Australians who are having a stem cell transplant or waiting for a stem cell transplant are relying on overseas donors. Now, that is quite critical for many who are on the wait list or about to have a stem cell transplant,” he said.
“The current number of people registered, at approximately 65,000, is just not enough.”
While other countries have stem cell donation programs in schools, hospitals and workplaces, that’s lacking in Australia, Stavreski said.
“Each year, more than 2000 stem cell transplants are undertaken, and unfortunately, we’re relying too much on overseas donors. And there are also those where donors cannot be found.”
He encouraged all Australians to donate, and emphasised that one group could be particularly helpful.
“Young Australians are really the key part here in terms of stem cells, the healthiest and the most populous stem cells are when you are between 18 to 35,” he said.
What’s it like donating stem cells?
Stavreski said there are misconceptions about donating stem cells, as some people may have an outdated understanding of how the procedure works.
“In the past, the stem cells were taken from the hip bone. That’s no longer the case; there isn’t the pain that comes along with it,” he said.
He explained that stem cell donations are not as invasive as they used to be and are now “quite simple”.
“It is like donating blood from one arm. The blood will come out, a machine will separate the cells, and the remaining blood will go through to the other arm. It only takes 30 minutes to 60 minutes for the entire process,” he said.
“You don’t need any other needles or any anaesthetic.”
Diverse donors needed
When determining which stem cells will be most effective in treatment, ancestry plays an important role.
Currently, most donors are of Western European descent, which could mean patients from other nationalities and First Nations backgrounds miss out.
“What is important, and to really reflect what the population is in Australia, is that we need donors from all ancestries,” Stavreski said.
“It’s important that the stem cells are a match. So in terms of using stem cells from other donors, if it’s not a perfect match, well then the transplant just cannot happen.”
