Black Blood Heals
The Black Blood Heals Podcast explores the stories of heroic Black donors who have saved lives and Black patients in need of life-saving stem cell and bone marrow transplants. Hear from Black doctors about disparities in healthcare affecting the Black community and learn how you can take action to save a life and change outcomes for patients battling blood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening diseases.
Black Blood Heals
How HLA Typing is Used to Identify a Stem Cell Match
Welcome back to Black Blood Heals by Be The Match. This week, your host Tamara Weston is joined by Stephanie Lerach, senior immunogenic specialist at Be The Match. Stephanie and her team work with Be The Match to help transplant centers find the best matches for searching patients. You’re going to want to get a pen and paper ready because this episode is going to dive into the technicalities of HLA typing, how our genes and proteins work, and how Be The Match actually finds donor matches for patients.
HLA testing is complex and around 70% of patients are going to have to turn to the registry to find a match. So let’s dive into what HLA testing is and why it’s important. This episode will cover what it takes to find a match but you’ll also learn about how your HLA tissues help protect your body, where you get your HLA typing from and a deeper insight into the role that ethnic background plays in stem cell donation.
Black Blood Heals is here to act as a resource and break down barriers to help you feel more comfortable joining the registry, and more confident in understanding the process of stem cell donation. Visit bethematchblk.org to learn more about joining the registry and remember, it will take all of us to save one of us.
Get Involved
- Join the Donor Registry: https://bit.ly/3UGiU1S
- Visit NMDP for resources: https://bit.ly/48moDxd
Black Blood Heals is produced by Adode Media www.adodemedia.com
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