A two-year-old cancer patient has a whole life to look forward to, thanks to the stem cells donated by student donor Antony Robinson in September last year.

The young survivor is one among the 170 cancer patients who have been given a new lease of life through stem cell transplants co-ordinated by Datri, a blood stem cell donors registry.

While the healing has been 100 per cent successful for 30 of them, the rest of the more recent cases are on a follow up, said Sai Prasath P, donor drive co-ordinator at Datri.

Datri, which was launched in 2009, is the only registered stem cell database in the country that provides donors for hospitals licensed to carry out stem cell transplants to cure diseases like cancer and serious blood disorders.

Datri ropes in donors through mostly awareness campaigns at business establishments, educational institutions and other organisations to expand the database, which now has 1,84,000 registered members.

One of the most simple and fulfilling ways to save a life is stem cell donation, with the donor requiring just a few hours to pledge the life giving gift, said Prasath.

At an awareness session, the donor will be imparted information on the entire donation process, which will be followed by filling up a registration form with personal details and then by signing a consent form. Then a buccal swab procedure will be conducted to obtain the DNA formation extract.

“This is simply a sterilized stick with a cotton swab at one end that will be used to pass it over the inner cheek,” said Prasath.

The DNA details assigned with a barcode, ensuring uniqueness, will be stored in the Datri database and the member will be called for donation if his DNA matches that of the patient’s.

What is stem cell donation?
It is merely donating blood from the sample of which blood-forming cells or stem cells will be collected. For five days leading up to the donation, the donor will be given injections to boost stem cells in the bloodstream. This will be in addition to a health check-up that will certify if the donor is fit for donation.

“A maximum of 150ml to 220ml blood is drawn out for saving the life of a single patient,” said Prasath.

The blood samples are sent to the US to determine the DNA, which takes about 20 days before they are sent back, he said.
At the end of a stem cell donation, the donor is left with an overwhelming feeling of having done something to save a life, and the recipient is given a new chance at life.

“What changes is the blood group of the recipient if he had not belonged to the same group as the donor before the transplant. He will in fact acquire new blood and a new sibling in terms of a genetic similarities,” said Prasath.

The donors should be between 18 years and 50 years of age and should not be drug addicts and must have never been diagnosed with HIV Aids, hepatitis B or C and serious blood disorders.

This month, Datri registered 1,700 donors in six awareness events, said Prasath. “The first five events we were able to register just 300 donors, but in the following single event we were able to enlist 1,400 – and all of them were students.”

Students are a big hope for us, he said.

In 2015, we received 400 to 500 requests from patients, but we were able to process just between 22 and 30, Prasath said, adding, “Many donors will be declared unfit when they fail to pass the medical test.”

Also out of 10 donors, five would have taken to drugs, three would not get parents’ approval and the rest of the two would have pulled out of the commitment.

V Satishkumar, a software engineer, who donated stem cells to save the life of yet another young cancer patient, said it’s just like donating blood.

I’m extremely happy about what I have done, and waiting to meet the baby, said Satishkumar, who registered in 2012 and was called for donation in December last year.

“There is a lot of hesitation as people have imaginary fears about the whole thing. I myself had to go against my family’s wishes to donate.”

Datri, a non-profit organization headed by Raghu Rajagopal, and is supported by corporates to extend this service.

Run by diligently chosen personnel to run the daily affair, the organization maintains high standards of service and confidentiality, said Prasath.

“Corporates in Coimbatore are not yet forthcoming to support this cause compared to Bangalore and Chennai,” Prasath said.