Stem cell donor matching access expands for thalassemia families in Vizag

Dr Deenadayalan Munirathnam of MGM Cancer Institute Chennai, Patrick Paul of DKMS Foundation India and Sarath Babu Voggu of Saptha Foundation detail high resolution HLA testing support for 55 families at King George General Hospital

Visakhapatnam, 13 February 2026: Access to stem cell donor matching for children diagnosed with thalassemia and sickle cell disease expanded in north coastal Andhra Pradesh through a high resolution HLA testing initiative conducted at King George General Hospital, Visakhapatnam.
The effort brought together over 55 families from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Paderu, Srikakulam and Parvathipuram, with more than 200 cheek swab samples collected from patients and family members for advanced HLA typing. The initiative was organised by MGM Cancer Institute, Chennai in collaboration with Saptha Foundation and supported by DKMS Foundation India under its Access to Transplantation programme.

High resolution HLA typing is a critical first step in identifying compatible donors for stem cell transplantation, currently the only curative option for many children affected by thalassemia. The collected samples will be processed at the DKMS Life Science Lab in Germany at no cost to participating families. Results are expected within six to eight weeks and will guide transplant related decisions.
Dr Deenadayalan Munirathnam, Paediatric Transplant Specialist at MGM Cancer Institute, said thalassemia continues to affect thousands of children annually and early transplantation significantly improves outcomes. He said expanding access to donor matching through community level interventions helps bridge financial and logistical barriers that often delay treatment.

Sarath Babu Voggu, Founder and Chairman of Saptha Foundation, said structured outreach combined with counselling and testing access enables families from lower awareness regions to enter the transplant pathway with clarity. He noted that partnerships with specialised institutions strengthen regional thalassemia response efforts.
Patrick Paul, Executive Chairman of DKMS Foundation India, said the organisation continues to work with hospitals and non profit partners to extend advanced testing facilities to remote areas. He said the objective is to ensure children requiring transplantation are not restricted by geography or affordability.

DKMS Foundation India has registered more than 200,000 blood stem cell donors and has facilitated over 200 transplants, supporting patients diagnosed with blood cancers and inherited blood disorders.

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