The World's Largest Jewish Stem Cell Donor Registry
In 1996, Moshe Schayek, a young man desperate for a bone marrow transplant, turned to Ezer Mizion for assistance in finding a matching donor. Ezer Mizion’s Cancer Support Division helped his family coordinate a bone marrow drive, but no match was found among the 5,000 people who participated in the drive. Sadly, the young man died, but he left a legacy that has enabled dozens of other sick Jews to live. This led to the establishment of Ezer Mizion’s International Stem Cell Donor Registry.
As of October 2024, the Stem Cell Registry has grown to include more than 1,266,108 potential donors!
Since the establishment in 1998, Ezer Mizion’s Stem Cell Donor Registry has handled thousands of search requests from dozens of transplant centers in 48 countries around the world. Ezer Mizion’s Stem Cell Registry has facilitated 5,376 stem cell transplants, saving the lives of patients throughout the world and sparing thousands of people untold anguish.
In compliance with international standards, the Stem Cell Registry accepts donor search requests and facilitates transplants for all patients. Today, Ezer Mizion’s Stem Cell Registry is the largest Jewish registry in the world. Because donors and recipients need to be genetically compatible, patients of Jewish ethnicity will generally require stem cell donors of the same ethnic origin. The Stem Cell Registry is thus a vital resource for thousands and serves as a safety net for Jewish patients everywhere.
Ezer Mizion’s Stem Cell Registry is affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP, USA) and is a member of Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW, Netherlands). Ezer Mizion’s Registry is an accredited member of World Marrow Donors Association (WMDA), the international association that sets global standards for registries worldwide.
Under the direction of Dr. Bracha Zisser, Director of Ezer Mizion’s cancer support services and Ofra Konikoff, Chief Transplant Coordinator, the Stem Cell Registry continues to grow, offering the gift of life and hope to growing numbers of patients.