Romania stem cell donor registry exceeds 114,000 participants

The National Registry of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors in Romania has reached over 114,000 registered donors. Over its 14-year history, the registry has facilitated 696 transplant procedures. Despite this progress, officials note that approximately 30% of patients cannot find a compatible donor within international registries, highlighting a critical need for more local participants.

Traian Laurian Arghisan, director of the institution, emphasized that more than 5% of the Romanian population should be registered to improve success rates. Currently, about 7,000 new donors join the registry annually. While the Romanian registry is interconnected with a global network, increasing local numbers helps reduce reliance on larger registries in countries like Germany and Poland.

In support of these efforts, the Regional Institute of Oncology Iași is launching a recruitment campaign to increase awareness and expand the database. Healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 are eligible to register. Dr. Elena Albu noted that increasing the number of local volunteers is vital for helping Romanian patients find compatible matches more quickly due to regional genetic similarities.