Why is PBSC donation considered investigational?
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), which operates the Be The Match Registry, is studying PBSC donations and transplants under a clinical research study reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study is investigating whether blood-forming cells from the peripheral blood can be used as effectively as blood-forming cells from bone marrow for unrelated donor transplantation. A clinical research study has a written set of instructions for how a donation will be carried out. It is an important scientific way to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure for both donors and recipients.
