A group of five smiling DKMS team members stand together in front of a branded DKMS banner wall. They are wearing matching red DKMS hoodies and shirts. In front of them is an information table with flyers, swab kits, and a display encouraging registration for stem cell donation.

Boost Stem Cell Donations

Connecting patients with lifesaving stem cell donors

The core of our mission is to provide patients with matching stem cell donors to save as many lives as possible. For DKMS, everything began with one family looking for a genetic twin for their loved one in 1991. Today, over 13 million potential lifesavers are registered with DKMS, and every day, 27 DKMS donors are giving their stem cells to patients in need.

Two smiling young men, who are donor and patient, stand side by side on a platform with their arms around each other. The guy on the left wears a white Adidas t-shirt, the other one on the right a light green patterned shirt and beige shorts. In the background, a river, boats, and a city skyline are visible.

A young man and a woman, who are donor and patient, share a warm hug outdoors, both smiling joyfully. The man is wearing a white shirt and dark pants, while the woman is dressed in a floral blouse and pink pants. Mountains and a field can be seen in the blurred background.

If someone is diagnosed with blood cancer or a blood disorder and their doctors decide that a stem cell transplant is their best chance of survival, the search for a matching donor begins.

The first step is to check whether any of the patient's siblings are eligible to donate. However, less than one third of patients find a matching donor within their family. If there are no matching family members, the search for an unrelated donor begins with search coordinators checking stem cell donor registries for the patient around the world. There are several registries worldwide, with DKMS being the largest. To date, our DKMS donors have already given more than 130,000 second chances at life.

Around 35% of all unrelated blood stem cell transplants worldwide are made possible by DKMS donors.

Over the past three decades, we have opened Donor Centers in Germany, the United States, Poland, the United Kingdom, Chile, India, and South Africa to grow and diversify the donor pool. By registering donors in seven countries, we have increased the ethnic diversity of our database and with it the probability for patients of all backgrounds to find their genetic twin.

“Every registered donor is a strong symbol of hope for those facing the toughest moment of their lives and every second chance at life is a testament to the power of our global community.” - Dr. Elke Neujahr, Global Chief Executive Officer of the DKMS Group

The donor patient journey – We are there every step along the way

The journey from diagnosis to donation involves many steps, people, and decisions. From patients searching for a match to donors registering and preparing to give, it's a carefully coordinated process that can save a life.

Explore how DKMS supports both sides of the journey: from the first swab to a second chance.

Our Three Pillars

Our efforts to give as many blood cancer patients as possible a second chance at life are based on three pillars.

A smiling man wearing black glasses and a checkered blue shirt is sitting to the left of a little girl in a white dress with a red sash. Both are happily looking at the camera with their arms around each other.

Boost Stem Cell Donations

A little Indian girl, who is smiling and wearing a pink hoodie, is standing next to a woman of whom only one arm and the hand are visible. The woman is holding some clothes in her hand. In the background, people in colorful clothing can be seen.

Improve Access to Transplantation

A female employee at the DKMS Life Science Lab, with brown hair in a bun, wearing a light blue lab coat and green protective gloves is working in the laboratory. She is holding a yellow stack of sample containers and placing them into a machine. The background is blurred.

Advance Research & Development