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Glossary

Apheresis

A procedure where blood is continually drawn from a donor's arm and circulated through a machine that removes the requested cells, such as blood-forming cells or white blood cells, while the rest of the blood is returned to the donor through their other arm.

Blood-forming cells (also called blood stem cells)

Cells produced in the bone marrow and blood that can grow into a red blood cell, a white blood cell or a platelet.

Bone marrow

A spongy tissue inside of large bones where the body's blood-forming cells are made.

Blood stem cell transplant

A medical treatment to replace a patient's damaged bone marrow with healthy peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) or marrow. Also known as hematopoietic cell transplant or a blood or marrow transplant.

Filgrastim

Filgrastim is also known as rhG-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) or by the trade name Neupogen®. NMDPSM may also use other brands of filgrastim and similar medications, such as Releuko, Nivestym, Granix and Zarxio. It is given by injection to donors who have agreed to donate PBSC. Filgrastim and similar medication stimulates the bone marrow to make more blood-forming cells and moves them from the marrow into the bloodstream so they can be collected by apheresis.

Hematopoietic stem cells

Blood-forming stem cells capable of producing all the components of blood and marrow. Cells capable of both self-renewal and differentiation to white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Investigational New Drug Application (IND)

A study regulated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to demonstrate that a product is safe and effective for its intended use.

Infectious disease testing

Tests performed on a sample of the donor's blood to determine whether their PBSCs or marrow could transmit disease to the patient.

Marrow donation

A surgical procedure by which a person donates some of their liquid marrow from the posterior iliac crest for a patient who has diseased marrow and needs a bone marrow transplant. The donor's marrow typically replaces itself within a few weeks.

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC)

Blood stem cells collected from the peripheral (circulating) bloodstream.

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation

Blood-forming cells are collected from a donor's circulating blood through an apheresis procedure following five days of filgrastim injections. The cells are then transplanted into a recipient.

Registry

The NMDP Registry®—which includes domestic registry partners—is a confidential national database of potential volunteer blood stem cell donors established and maintained by NMDP.