[Genetic diversity and bone marrow transplantation]

Abstract

The genetic origin of the patients, for whom a bone marrow transplantation has been proposed, is a key determinant in the possibility of identifying or not a compatible unrelated donor, and consequently in the possibility of performing the bone marrow transplantation. The required strict HLA compatibility, in the context of a bone marrow transplantation, increases the difficulty. A patient has one chance over four to have a compatible donor within his brothers and sisters, if any. This chance becomes one over a million, as an average, in the context of unrelated donor search. Taking into consideration the genetic history of the populations, their evolution and the large actual HLA diversity, the probability of finding an unrelated donor for a defined patient varies according to the frequency and the combination of the patient's HLA antigens, genetic markers inherited not only from his parents, but also from his ancestries. In the unrelated context, the HLA compatible donor most probably shares the same genetic history than the patient, and consequently belongs to the same population group. The study of the genetic of populations explains the difficulties in finding an unrelated compatible donor in the migrant populations, particularly those originated from Africa and from the middle east, due to their HLA specificities and to the small number of donors sharing the same origins registered on a volunteer bone marrow donors' file worldwide.