The DKMS Access to Transplantation program: addressing barriers to HSCT

Access to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) depends on various factors. Socioeconomic barriers are critical in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Affordable HLA typing of patients and their relatives is an important prerequisite for transplantation. Even if a suitable donor is found, patients often face the challenge of public health systems not providing sufficient transplant capacity or not fully covering related costs. To address these barriers, the international donor center DKMS launched an Access to Transplantation (ATT) program in 2014. The program is based on three pillars: Free HLA Typing, Patient Funding, and Capacity Building. Through this program, DKMS has facilitated 53,430 HLA typings, resulting in 1,639 transplantations (cut-off Q4/2024). In addition, DKMS has financed 952 transplantations covering on average ∼36% of the total costs, provided funds for Thalassemia day care centers and helped increasing transplant center capacities, awarded scholarships to medical personnel and helped establish the “EBMT Middle-Income Countries Pediatric Advanced Care Training” program. Local partners are crucial and we seek to support further institutions in LMIC planning to set up pediatric transplant programs. In this article, we aim to describe the DKMS Access to Transplantation program and its most important results.