08.04.2022

Improving the availability of stem cell donors

Tübingen researchers cooperate with DKMS Germany to improve the availability of stem cell donors.

An international team of researchers led by Tübingen economics professor Patrick Kampkötter (Chair of Managerial Accounting) is cooperating with DKMS Germany (formerly the German Bone Marrow Donor Center) to improve the availability of stem cell donors and thus increase the chances of survival for blood cancer patients. With currently 11 million registered stem cell donors, the DKMS is one of the largest stem cell donor registries worldwide and has so far arranged more than 90,000 bone marrow and stem cell donations. 

In addition to economists from Tübingen, Prof. Mario Macis (Johns Hopkins University), Prof. Robert Slonim (University of Technology Sydney), and Prof. Daniel Wiesen (University of Cologne) are also involved in the project.

In the first part of the project, historical data on factors driving stem cell donor availability were analyzed. Special attention was paid to initiatives targeted at registered donors, who have specific genetic characteristics that make a request for stem cell transplantation more likely. Based on these results and a survey of registered donors, a randomized pilot study is currently being conducted.

The results of the first part of the research project have now been published in a NBER Working Paper, which can be downloaded here.