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The DKMS Stem Cell Bank in Dresden has been enabling the production, storage and donation of Adult Donor Cryopreserved Units (ADCUs) from unrelated donors since November 2023. These ADCUs are then made available for patients and transplantation centers worldwide for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The aim is to give patients a second chance at life in an efficient and faster way. One year after the storage of the first ADCU, a patient received one of those cryopreserved and stored donations for the first time.

Half of pediatric blood cancer patients in Chile come from the regions, yet lifesaving stem cell transplantations are only performed in Santiago. Temporary housing for patients and their families is therefore crucial in the Chilean transplant chain. To address the shortage of patient housing and reduce the waiting list for pediatric blood cancer patients, DKMS Chile is partnering with Fundación Casa Familia, a local non-profit organization. DKMS will cover the accommodation costs for four pediatric blood cancer patients and their caregivers for at least 18 months.

Young scientists worldwide who are conducting research in the field of stem cell transplantation or cell therapy for hematological diseases can apply for the DKMS John Hansen Research Grant 2025 from August 1, 2024 onwards. The foundation DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden will fund up to four innovative projects over a period of three years with 240,000 euro each. Possible aspects of the research include diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, transplant immunology, complications in stem cell transplantation, donor selection, or cell manufacturing. Applicants must have received a doctoral degree (PhD, MD or equivalent achievements) in a field pertinent to the grant within the last 10 years. The application deadline is November 20, 2024.

The DKMS Stem Cell Bank is the first facility worldwide that makes cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cells available for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

DKMS honors Professor Dr Robert Zeiser with the DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award 2024 and four outstanding young scientists in the field of blood cancer therapy receive the highly coveted DKMS John Hansen Research Grant.

DKMS Chile is thrilled to announce the inauguration of its first collection center in Santiago de Chile on January 25, marking a significant step in enhancing stem cell collection as well as transplant capacity in the country and improving access to treatment for patients in need. This is a unique project in Chile, as it is the first facility dedicated exclusively to peripheral stem cell collection.

On August 1, 2023, the application period for the DKMS John Hansen Research Grant 2024 began. The DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden supports up to four outstanding research projects in the field of stem cell transplantation or cell therapy each year. The grant is aimed at young scientists who have obtained a doctoral degree (PhD, MD or equivalent achievements) no more than 10 years ago. The grant amounts to €240,000 each and will be paid out over a period of three years. The application deadline is November 30, 2023.

Foundation DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden honors Professor Carl H. June for his outstanding achievements in cancer immunology with the DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award 2023. Throughout his distinguished career, the physician-scientist has made significant contributions to the field of immunology, including his pioneering work on the use of T cells in cancer. He was instrumental in the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which has proven remarkably effective in treating patients with relapsed and refractory leukemia and lymphoma. Moreover, his work has not only created a paradigm shift in the treatment of blood cancers, but it also has the potential to improve treatment options for solid cancers, chronic infections, and autoimmune diseases in the future. Already, numerous preclinical and clinical trials are underway, which hold great promise not only for the scientific community, but most importantly for all affected patients and their families.

DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden awards four outstanding young scientists with the highly endowed DKMS John Hansen Research Grant (from left to right): Andri Lemarquis, MD, PhD, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Eiko Hayase, MD, PhD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Eliana Ruggiero, PhD, from the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, and Ivan Cohen, PhD, from the University of Pennsylvania. All are working on different topics to make blood cancer therapy more successful in the future.

A great idea that continues to guide us forward: ten years ago, the DKMS Life Science Laboratory applied a particularly powerful research technology to the typing of potential stem cell donors for the first time. Upon implementation, the lab was able to type eight times as many potentially lifesaving stem cell donors as before. Today, up to 1.3 million donors are typed each year, making the DKMS Life Science Lab the world's leading HLA typing laboratory.