Iranian Stem cell Donor Program (ISCDP)

When allogeneic HSCT is being considered for a patient, a fully HLA- matched sibling is the preferred donor source. Unfortunately, only 30 percent of the people who need bone marrow transplants can find a match within their immediate family and the other 70 percent have to rely on the registry. In an effort to increase the chance of finding matches, the first Iranian Stem Cell Donor Program was established in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East in 2007. Since 2010, ISCD has joined BMDW and now there is an opportunity to search well-matched unrelated donors nationwide as well as worldwide. Meanwhile, more than 56000 Iranian volunteers have enrolled in the national registry and approximately 5000 donors have been screened for HLA type.