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Innovations Pushing the Boundaries in Stem Cell Therapy
If there is no matched person in the patient's family, TÜRKÖK (Turkish Stem Cell Coordination Center), established in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Kızılay (Red Crescent), along with other international banks around the world (WMDA), are screened. Bone marrow is obtained from a completely unrelated volunteer "Donor" living on the other side of the world whose genetics match the patient 100%, and the life-saving transplant is successfully carried out.
If a suitable unrelated donor cannot be found in the banks either, "Haploidentical Transplantation," one of medicine's greatest revolutions, comes into play. In this method, the cells of a person who is only a "Half-Match (50%)" are used. Your mother, father, children, or half-matched sibling becomes a potential donor for you. Thanks to advanced laboratory procedures (T-Cell depletion), the body's rejection of this semi-foreign tissue is prevented.
It is the process of collecting and freezing the blood from the umbilical cord and placenta that would otherwise be discarded when a baby is born. Cord blood is incredibly rich in stem cells. If the child (or a matched family member) develops a blood disease in the future, this frozen cord blood is thawed and used as a perfect and fresh source for a bone marrow transplant.
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