Cedars-Sinai is partnering with Be The Match®, the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world, to host a bone marrow and stem cell donor drive.
Cedars-Sinai Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and Be The Match will partner from Tuesday Dec. 9-Thursday, Dec. 11, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“About 70 percent of all patients in need of a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family,” said Michael Lill, MD, medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. “Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage. To increase the likelihood of a match for everyone, more registry members of diverse backgrounds are needed.”
Potential donors will learn about the life-saving potential of donating, how the process works and the responsibilities of bone marrow or stem cell donors.
Finding a match is especially challenging for patients of mixed races and ethnicities that are underrepresented in the registry, such as Hispanic, Korean or Japanese. Be The Match encourages donors of mixed race and underrepresented ethnicities to attend this drive.
The drive will take place at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Ray Charles Cafeteria, located at 8700 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. Bone marrow transplant recipients can be available for interviews.