News & Events

Our newly launched BMT-Start-up Program has achieved important milestones with its initial collaborations in Vietnam and Uzbekistan. This initiative supports established and emerging centers in implementing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from matched sibling donors for pediatric patients with blood disorders – with a focus on thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Through this program, we are paving the way for more equitable access to transplantation.

We honored Professor Chiara Bonini with the DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award 2025 and young scientists in the field of stem cell transplantation and cell therapy for hematological diseases with the highly coveted DKMS John Hansen Research Grant and the DKMS Special Grant at the conference of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) in Florence.

We have expanded our global impact by funding a new Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (BMT) for pediatric patients in Ahmedabad, India. This state-of-the-art facility will provide lifesaving treatment to up to 120 children with hereditary blood disorders like thalassemia annually, offering them a second chance at life.

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.

This year's Tandem Meetings, Transplantation & Cellular Therapy of ASTCT and CIBMTR will take place from April 23 to 26 in Salt Lake City. We will be there! Talk to us in person at our booth.

DKMS will celebrate its 30th anniversary on May 28th, the annual World Blood Cancer Day (WBCD): 30 years in which we have fought against blood cancer and achieved a lot. Today, we are an international organization with a clear message: blood cancer knows no borders. It is this message that is behind our increasing commitment to ensure patients in India, South Africa, and other developing regions of the world also have access to life-saving stem cell transplants.

DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden honors two outstanding scientists and physicians at virtual ceremony: Professor Massimo F. Martelli and Prof. Dr. Fred Falkenburg