When a patient needs a transplant, the database is searched for a donor with complementary antigens. If a match is found, the donor is then contacted and further testing may be conducted to determine the complete match. Typically, the potential donor pays screening and harvesting costs, Dorton says. But there is support from private and public entities from the local, state and national level. Harvesting, or removing bone marrow cells from the donor, is performed in a hospital under anesthesia.
Marrow is extracted from the pelvic bone using a special needle and syringe.
The marrow extracted from the donor is then injected into the patient, where it multiplies. The donor's marrow then replenishes itself within a few weeks. All Rights Reserved.