Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Sixteen bone marrow transplants were performed on children suffering from sickle cell anaemia in Madhya Pradesh in 2025. According to data from the National Health Mission (NHM), 13 of these procedures were conducted at Indore Medical College, while three were carried out at Jabalpur Medical College.
Of the 30,000 sickle cell anaemia patients, around 1,500 are kids, according to Jabalpur medical college doctors. The success rate for bone marrow transplants is higher in kids below 12 years.
Twenty-seven districts are affected by the disease in the state.
Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) are proteins on cells used by the immune system to recognise self from foreign cells. In marrow transplants, HLA typing is the critical DNA-based test used to match donors and recipients
A matching HLA donor's bone marrow is transplanted to the child, which helps to produce stem cells and hence produce blood on its own. A major barrier to marrow transplantation for sickle cell anaemia is the lack of an HLA-identical donor.
Explaining the eligibility criteria, Shweta Pathak of Jabalpur Medical College said, The main point for bone marrow transplants is HLA matching. So bone marrow is not done in all kids suffering from sickle cell anaemia. But those who are eligible for transplants happen to be just 5% of 30,000 sickle cell patients, which comes to around 1,500 kids in the state.
Pathak further informed that pure sickle cell bone marrow transplants are three in the state, while one case each is of sickle-thalassaemia and thalassaemia in Jabalpur Medical College.
