Never before have so many people in the Czech Republic registered for a bone marrow or stem cell donation within a single year. The extraordinary surge in interest was triggered by the fate of little Madlenka. For the first time, over 200,000 potential donors are now registered nationwide.
More than 35,000 people have newly registered in Czech donation registers for bone marrow and stem cell donations this year. Compared with the previous year, this is almost a threefold increase. This is evident from the annual data of the Czech Register for Haematopoietic Stem Cell Donors at Prague’s IKEM (Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny), as well as from the figures of the Czech National Bone Marrow Donor Register at the University Hospital in Pilsen up to the end of November.
The IKEM register recorded around 11,700 new registrations, nearly six times as many as in previous years. This brought the total number of potential lifesavers in the IKEM database to 50,872 individuals. In Pilsen, 23,722 new donors were registered this year, compared with 10,424 the previous year.
The extraordinary public interest was sparked by the fate of little Madlenka, who suffers from aplastic anaemia (AA). Her story touched the public so deeply that over 8,000 new donors came forward in just one month.
“This heightened interest continued in the following months,” explains Marie Kuříková, Head of the Register at IKEM, in a press release. “In previous years, the average was around 2,000 new registrations per year. 2025 was a record year for us, but also an enormous logistical challenge.”
For the first time, more than 200,000 people are now recorded across both Czech registers, all willing to save another person’s life by donating stem cells or bone marrow. Statistically, about one in 120 registered donors is actually called upon to donate.
Finding a suitable donor is like looking for a needle in a haystack. “We are essentially searching for a genetic twin,” Kuříková explains. “Ideally, ten immune markers must match exactly. If we do not find a match domestically, we rely on the worldwide network of over 44 million registered people.”
“Every person who joins the register represents hope for a specific patient. Our thanks go to all those willing to sacrifice time and comfort to save a stranger’s life,” Kuříková adds.
Who Can Donate Bone Marrow and Stem Cells
Depending on the register, donors can remain active until the age of 55 or 60. There are clear criteria for registration: the maximum age is 36 in one register and 41 in the other, a minimum weight of 50 kilograms is required, and a good general state of health is essential. Ongoing medication usually excludes registration, except for seasonal allergy treatments. Registration involves completing a questionnaire and providing a saliva sample. The actual donation later occurs either via extraction of bone marrow from the pelvic bone or by harvesting stem cells from the bloodstream (peripheral stem cell collection).
