The Biomedicine Agency hopes to bring together more male donors, much sought after by doctors and who are becoming rarer in the national register of voluntary donors. It also intends to fill a lack of ethnic diversity which reduces the chances of recovery for some patients.
“More young people, men and diversity”. In this world bone marrow donation day, the Biomedicine Agency hope to be heard. Each year, it aims to register 20,000 new people in the French register of bone marrow donors. Since the beginning of its awareness campaign launched in April, the agency has been able to mobilize 18,130 new registrants, thus raising the number of donors to 351,329 peoplesince the creation of the register.
Problem: although the number of registrants is encouraging, the lack of diversity voluntary donors undermines the quality of the registry. Because for a patient to benefit from a bone marrow donation, it is necessary to succeed in find a donor who is genetically compatible. “The concern being thatwe lack profiles of African or Asian types to be able to transplant patients of these origins”, explains a member of the Biomedicine Agency.
Encouraging figures for the region
“In terms of ethnic diversity, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region is a good student. There are many donors who have a genetic diversity and which come from different brews”details Irène Allione, President of the France Adot 06 association which works to raise awareness of human organ and tissue donation in the region.
But another problem arises: the register has a larger proportion of female donors than male donors, who are nevertheless mostly sampled. In France, the national register has 36% men. In Marseilles and Nice, they represent respectively 24% et 29% registered donors.
“If doctors favor male donors, it is because they are devoid of antibodies produced by a woman when she initiates a pregnancy, and which afterwards remain in her cells”, sums up the Biomedicine Agency. Thus, specialists reduce the immunological risks associated with the transplant.
More young people, less received ideas
Beyond this genetic diversification, the registry would need gather more young donors. It is possible to become a voluntary donor from the age of 18 years old, and that, up to 35 years old. Once registered, bone marrow donation is permitted up to age 60.
Faced with this constraint, young donors have a double advantage: they have very active cells that promote engraftment and they stay registered much longer on the list of donors who wait an average of eight years before being called to take a sample.
“We are making this world day a highlight” admits the Biomedicine Agency. “We insist on international solidarity of this gift, since the 73 world registers are interdependent. A donor can save the life of someone halfway around the world.”.
For Irène Allione, from the France Adot 06 association, it is important to sweep away taboos and to educate the young population about this. “When we talk about bone marrow donation, people think of the spinal cord. You have to get rid of received ideas and explain that donating a little of your bone marrow is not complicated and it is essential”.