Stem Cells are the only cells in your body that make different cell types, like blood, bone and muscle cells, they also repair damaged tissue. Medical researchers believe stem cells have the ability to repair other tissues and have the potential to treat many other diseases for which much research is going on worldwide.

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There are typically 5 types of Stem Cells in a human body in various parts of our bodies.  We are going to be discussing the Haematopoietic (blood) Stem Cells. These stem cells are essential for blood cancer and blood disorder treatments. Haematopoietic stem cells are found in the big bones of our bodies, collectively making up the tissue called bone marrow. Stem cells in the bone marrow can develop into all types of blood cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets and are responsible to keep our immune system in healthy balance.

If you’re called as a match for a patient, there are several steps you’ll need to follow before donating peripheral blood stem cells to make sure the procedure is safe for both you and the patient.

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• Complete a health history questionnaire

• Move through additional testing to make sure you’re the best match.

• Get your questions answered in a detailed information and counselling session

• Undergo a physical exam and give blood samples to ensure it’s safe for you to donate as well as to make sure you’re a safe donor.

To donate stem cell from the peripheral blood the donor has to go through a 5 day course of Growth Factor Treatment. The donor is given an injection - Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF) for 5 days. This will stimulate the stem cells to multiply at a faster rate increasing the numbers of our stem cells in our bones and pushing them into our peripherial blood stream.

On donation day, you can expect to arrive at the collection centre early. You’ll usually receive the last injection of GCSF and then have your complete blood cell count taken to make sure that enough stem cells have mobilized from the bone marrow out into the blood stream.

Then you’ll be set up on the apheresis machine.

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During apheresis, a needle will be placed in each of your arms. Blood will be removed from a vein in one arm and passed through tubing into a blood cell separator machine.

This separator machine is called the Apheresis Machine.

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The blood is spun at high speed, and the cells separate into layers. The machine collects PBSCs, some platelets and some white blood cells. Plasma and red blood cells are returned to your body through the other arm, while the PBSCs are put into a collection bag. All the tubing used in the machine is sterile and used only once for your donation.

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This process is similar to donating plasma or platelets but can take 4 to 8 hours. While donating, donors can watch movies or shows, read, use their phones, hang out with their companion or nap.

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Please CLICK HERE to watch the video here to understand the procedure. 

During the days leading up to the donation, while receiving the GCSF shots, some donors experience headaches or bone or muscle pain. They usually feel flue like symptoms for which the medical team will prescribe paracetamol like medication at the most. 

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No medical procedure is without risk, but fewer than 1% of PBSC donors experience a serious side effect from the donation process. You may be curious about any risks related to receiving GCSF in advance of donation. We've studied the risk of long-term complications from GCSF, and there is no increased risk compared to donors not given GCSF.

90% of all PBSC donations are completed in one apheresis session, which may take up to 8 hours. The remaining 10% of donations are completed in two apheresis sessions, which will take 4 to 6 hours each.

Once the process is complete, you’ll be checked out by a medical team to make sure all is well. You’ll have the IVs removed and be monitored for a short period of time before being released. 

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After donation, donors may experience slight bruising at the site where the IV was placed or some fatigue. Recovery times varies depending on the individual and the type of donation, but donors can usually go back to work, college and most other activities within 1 to 2 days at the most.