Bone marrow donation
Since the bone marrow is an organ, and since it is sometimes considered the only definitive treatment in many conditions, bone marrow donation is an integral part of any healthcare system. All body organs are “coded” with receptors on the surface of their cells which serve as an ID to tell the immune system that they belong to the same body. They are called MHC or “Major Histocompatibility complexes.” When transplanting an organ, we have to make sure that both the transplanted organ and the body are compatible to prevent the development of graft versus host reaction or “rejection.” Therefore, transplanted organs from the body itself or an identical twin are unparalleled and need no special measures for immunosuppression, followed by those from close family. Stem cells can be taken both from the bone marrow itself or the peripheral blood.