ABOUT DATRI

DATRI is working towards creating a wide and diverse database of potential Blood Stem Cell Donors that can be accessed by any patient, living anywhere in the world, in need of a Blood Stem Cell Transplant. DATRI is registered with Government of India as a Section 8 organization and all monetary contributions towards DATRI are subject to 80G exemptions.
HISTORY

Dr. Nezih Cereb and Dr. Soo Young Yang are the founders of Histogenetics, a laboratory that performs high-resolution HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) typing. Histogenetics worked with some Indian hospitals to perform the HLA typing for patients who have leukemia or fatal blood disorders. Their only chance to survive was a stem cell transplant, and if no donor was available in the family, an unrelated donor vis needed. Both of them were well aware of the shortage of HLA-matched, unrelated Indian donors as there was no registry in India.
They saw an urgent need for a donor registry in India and teamed up with an enterprising entrepreneur. This entrepreneur had a friend whose friend’s fiancée was of Indian origin. She could not find an HLA match in the US registry or other international registries, which was the turning point. He assisted in conducting awareness campaigns in the US amongst the Indian community to register them as potential blood stem cell donors. When he moved back to India, he became aware that it was almost impossible to find an unrelated donor for patients of Indian origin.
The three of them then founded an Unrelated Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry in India to meet the increasing demand for blood stem cell donors. Histogenetics supported the installation and functioning of the registry. Histogenetic (India) Private Limited was generous in providing office space to DATRI free of cost to run its project office in Chennai in the early days. They have also helped DATRI design the software required to run the registry’s operations and its maintenance. They have provided a long-term interest-free loan towards the high-resolution HLA typing costs of all the donors who register with DATRI. Other forms of invaluable support have been mentoring and advising on developing a registry at par excellence.
VISION & MISSION

Through systematic donor drives, DATRI seeks to build awareness and enroll potential Blood Stem Cell Donors. For a successful Blood Stem Cell Transplant, the patients’ genetic typing (HLA Typing – redirect to HLA page) needs to closely match with that of the donor. Every patient has a 25% chance of finding a match within the family. However, the rest of the patients do not find a suitable donor within the family. In such cases, there is a need to find an Unrelated Blood Stem Cell Donor or a Cord Blood Unit. Donor registries work towards creating a diverse database where the search of a life-saving donor meets a match. There are over 80 Blood Stem Cell Donors Registries & more than 30 Million registered Blood Stem Cell Donors across the globe, with a very few Indians being a part of it. This reduces the chances of finding a possible match for a patient of Indian origin. India is in real need of a functional registry with donors belonging to diverse ethnic backgrounds. A patient is more likely to find a possible match within his/her race/ethnicity, (i.e.) with people sharing the same cultural linguistic, biological traits etc.

VISION
We envision a society in which every patient in need of life saving blood stem cells, is provided with an opportunity to find a HLA matched, willing donor.

MISSION
To create a registry of committed, voluntary, HLA typed donors, who are well informed and are willing to donate, to a patient.
VALUES

Donor Safety

To ensure that donor safety is not compromised irrespective of the urgency of the patient’s needs.
Excellence

To be driven by the spirit of excellence in attaining and maintaining first class quality in all endeavours.
Integrity

Ensure the highest level of honesty and integrity in all our interactions.
Compassion

To approach all our activities with a deep awareness of the situation of those who are in need of life saving transplants and promote sensitivity to the dignity of each individual.
Commitment

To be fully and passionately committed to our mission of saving lives through enabling of volunteer enrolment for stem cell donation.
Transparency

To create openness and transparency in all our interactions & processes.
Founding Members

Dr. Nezih Cereb
Co-Founder & Chairperson
Dr. Cereb is the President and the Co-Founder of Histogenetics. Dr. Cereb is an expert in introducing and implementing the latest technology for HLA typing. He has a background in clinical medicine, particularly in bone marrow transplantation and in Basic and Applied Immunogenetics research.
Dr. Soo Young Yang,
Co-Founder & Director
Dr. Yang is the Chairman and the Founder of Histogenetics, a state-of-art laboratory which specialises in HLA Typing. With over 25 years of extensive research and experience in HLA genetics, Dr. Yang has contributed significantly to the field of human immunogenetics.
AFFILIATIONS

DATRI is a registered member with WORLD MARROW DONOR ASSOCIATION (WMDA) and follows WMDA guidelines and processes. DATRI is also listed in the Global Search Program, BONE MARROW DONORS WORLDWIDE(BMDW).
We are registered with Government of India as a Section 8 organization and all monetary contributions towards DATRI are subject to 80G exemptions.
OUR TEAM

