BMT Start-up Program: First successful transplantations
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.

In September 2024, the Hue Central Hospital in Hue, Vietnam and the National Children’s Medical Center (NCMC) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan were the first hospitals to receive BMT Start-up support via the new program.

Up until February 2025, eight children have received lifesaving transplants from a matching family donor thanks to our initiative. We are happy to share that all thalassemia patients in Uzbekistan and Vietnam received the treatment without major complications and were discharged as planned.

Breaking down barriers to transplantation

Both hospitals have set-up a BMT ward with the ambition to offer a cure for transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients through BMT with matched sibling donors. Our support provided under the program includes:

  • Free HLA typing for thalassemia patients and their siblings to find a matching family donor.
  • Expert guidance from experienced transplant specialists, who shared their knowledge with the institution’s medical teams and assisted in the start-up of the first allogeneic BMTs of transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients in both countries.

The goal: Fostering local expertise and proficiency to ensure sustainable BMT services that will save lives for years to come.

Scaling up impact for the future

Both pediatric centers aim to complete 20 allogeneic bone marrow transplantations within the next two years. To support this effort, we will continue to offer free HLA typing and medical online advice. Furthermore, we will facilitate access to an international BMT network focusing on safe and effective stem cell transplantation in resource-limited settings.

Funded and administered by DKMS, the BMT Start-up Program offers a tailored, long-term solution for hospitals in low- and middle-income countries seeking to develop pediatric BMT services for non-malignant conditions. By addressing gaps in transplantation infrastructure and expertise, the program advances healthcare equity and access to life-saving treatment in regions where it is needed most.

The program is open for hospitals and tertiary care centers in hemoglobinopathy-prone areas, meeting certain conditions. It spans several years and is tailored to the specific needs of each center, with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency. Find out more here.

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