Kerala Pioneers Marrow Transplantation, Kerala Bone Marrow Registry Soon to Become a Reality
For the first time in Kerala, a Bone Marrow Registry is being set up to support marrow transplantation treatments. This registry is being developed as a pilot project in partnership with Thalassery Malabar Cancer Centre and K-DISC. Currently, finding suitable stem cell donors for patients with blood cancer presents significant challenges. The primary aim of the Bone Marrow Registry is to create a comprehensive database to address this issue. At present, only six bone marrow registries exist in India's non-governmental sector. The establishment of the Kerala Bone Marrow Registry is expected to significantly reduce the cost of transplants and improve access to suitable stem cells. Cancer prevention and treatment are core objectives of the NavaKerala Action Plan Ardram II. As part of this plan, a Cancer Registry and a Bone Marrow Registry are being developed. The Bone Marrow Registry will be integrated with the Kerala Cancer Registry to enable quick and efficient collection of information about donors and recipients. This integration will streamline the matching process, making bone marrow available to patients faster. The registry’s operations will be supported by advanced blood collection centers. Donors and recipients will be matched based on the internationally recognized criteria of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). By linking the Kerala Bone Marrow Registry with the WMDA, patients in Kerala will be able to find suitable donors from across the globe. Cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, will be employed to match donors and recipients, predict transplant success, and anticipate potential post-transplant complications. To date, around 200 marrow transplants, including for children, have been successfully conducted at Malabar Cancer Centre. Expanding donor recruitment efforts is critical to providing marrow transplants to more patients. The Malabar Cancer Centre has been actively running awareness programs, in collaboration with blood donor associations, to identify and mobilize suitable donors.
