DKMS Registry Goes Live with the WMDA Match-Connect Interface
Every day, donor registries and transplant centers around the world exchange large amounts of information to identify suitable stem cell donors for patients. This includes not only search requests but also sensitive donor and patient data that must be transferred securely and reliably.
Until now, this communication relied on EMDIS (European Marrow Donor Information System), a standard that has been used successfully for many years. However, as the technology has reached its limits and has become increasingly difficult to evolve, the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) developed Match-Connect, a new generation of international communication interfaces.
A simple way to understand the difference is this: In the past, every donor registry needed its own direct connection to every other registry, similar to a network of countless individual telephone lines. With Match-Connect, all registries connect to a single central platform, making data exchange significantly easier, faster, and more secure.
A Joint Success
To bring the new interface into everyday operation, DKMS Registry needed a partner willing to take this important step together. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) went live alongside DKMS Registry, making it the first organization to exchange data via Match-Connect in a live production environment. Despite a six-hour time difference, both organizations successfully coordinated the implementation following an extensive testing phase.
On June 24, 2026, DKMS Registry officially went live and has been exchanging data with Canadian Blood Services through Match-Connect ever since taking on a true pioneering role in the global donor registry community. This milestone was only possible thanks to the close collaboration of numerous teams and departments across DKMS, working hand in hand with our international partners.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone whose expertise, commitment, and outstanding teamwork made this project a success. The new interface simplifies the daily exchange of data between registries and donor centers. The processes within the donor centers themselves remain unchanged, except that information is transferred into the existing systems more quickly and securely.
Within just the first few weeks after go-live, more than 100 Confirmatory Typing (CT) requests (requests to confirm a potential donor match) were successfully processed via Match-Connect and transmitted to the Donor Centers.
Status updates, such as confirmation that samples have been received or laboratory results are available, can now also be exchanged almost in real time. This accelerates collaboration and lays the foundation for even more efficient workflows.
What's Next?
The successful go-live marks an important milestone, but it is only the beginning. Over the coming months, additional international partners will be connected to Match-Connect. The platform will also be expanded step by step to support further processes, including the Health & Availability Check (HAC), which verifies a potential donor's medical suitability and availability, as well as Workup, the process that prepares donors for the actual stem cell donation.
By leading the productive implementation of WMDA Match-Connect, DKMS Registry and Canadian Blood Services are making a significant contribution to modernizing international collaboration in the search for matching stem cell donors and are actively shaping the future global standard for secure registry communication.
About DKMS Registry
Finding the best possible donor for patients – worldwide.
Founded in 2020 as an independent subsidiary of DKMS Group gGmbH, DKMS Registry is an international donor and patient registry working closely with stem cell donor registries and transplant centres around the world.
As a donor registry, it enables international partners to search for and request DKMS donors through one central point, helping connect patients worldwide with potential matching donors across the DKMS network.
As a patient registry, DKMS Registry supports affiliated transplant centres, particularly in countries with limited donor registry infrastructure, with the resources, expertise and search coordination needed to search for and request suitable donors worldwide; regardless of where those donors are registered.
Through technology, international collaboration and expert search support, DKMS Registry works to overcome barriers to accessing unrelated stem cell donors and help more patients find the best possible donor for their transplant.
