AAPI Steps Up Stem Cell Donor Registration For South Asian Patients

India-West News Desk

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin is expanding stem cell donor registration drives across the United States and India to increase the pool of potential donors for patients of Indian and South Asian descent.

AAPI launched the initiative with the Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei (DKMS) and National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) international stem cell registries to address the difficulty South Asian patients can face in finding compatible donors.

Patients with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma may have difficulty finding a match because human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, markers are inherited and linked to ethnic background, according to AAPI.

“This initiative by AAPI addresses a critical gap in cancer treatment options for patients of Indian descent, who face significant challenges in finding compatible donors due to ethnicity-specific Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching,” said AAPI President Dr. Meher Medavaram.

AAPI Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Vijay Maurya said 70 percent of patients lack a family match and that the odds are lower for Indians because of the limited donor pool.

The campaign began during the presidency of Dr. Satheesh Kathula in November 2024 and has since expanded to dozens of U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Charlotte and Edison.

Many of the drives have been organized and led by high school and college students.

The effort is coordinated through the “AAPI Stem Cell Drive” platform established by Dr. Sashi Kuppala, chair of the AAPI Stem Cell Drive. It connects physicians, students, volunteers and community leaders involved in the drives.

“Matching donors is based on HLA typing, which is inherited and ethnicity-specific. Thousands of patients rely on transplants to survive,” Kuppala said.

Prospective donors can register online and receive a cheek-swab kit for HLA testing.

The campaign has also expanded to India. Working with the Global Association of Indian Medical Students and DATRI, India’s largest stem cell registry, AAPI organized donor drives during the Global Health Summit in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in January 2026. The effort is also being expanded to medical schools across India.