Luminex Corp has joined forces with the National Marrow Donor Program – Be The Match to raise awareness of the need for additional donors to increase the chances of finding a match for the growing number of patients awaiting life-saving bone marrow transplants. Recently, more than 100 Luminex employees joined the National Marrow Donor Registry in an effort to assist patients nationwide. Luminex will also be the Title Sponsor for the 17th Annual Marrow Ambassadors Golf Tournament to be held on October 10, 2011 at the Cimarron Hills Golf and Country Club in Georgetown, Texas.

With advances in hematopoietic cell transplantation making bone marrow transplants better tolerated and more effective at treating underlying diseases, patient selection has expanded dramatically. The largest growth area has been in older patients or those with co-morbidities transplanted using reduced-intensity conditioning regimens. Between 2006 and 2010, the number of National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) transplants for patients older than 50 has more than doubled (a 111 percent increase). Two other reasons for expanded patient selection include the use of transplants to treat some types of solid tumors, and a growing trend to transplant patients earlier in their disease course to improve outcomes. Research shows that patients transplanted earlier in the course of their disease have approximately half the mortality risk as patients transplanted in advanced stages. Unrelated transplant outcomes have also improved due to a number of factors including changes in clinical practice and better understanding of human leukocyte antigen typing and matching.

The 17th Annual Marrow Ambassadors Golf Tournament benefits the Marrow Donor Programs of Central and South Texas by providing tissue-typing funds for donors, making matches possible for patients in need of life-saving bone marrow transplants. Since 1994, Founder Steele Zinser and the Bone Marrow Ambassadors have raised funds for hundreds of Central Texas donors through this annual event. This year’s tournament will be held at Cimarron Hills Golf and Country Club, Georgetown, Texas on October 10, 2011.

Source: Luminex Corp