May 01 2017

MINNEAPOLIS—National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP)/Be The Match^®, which operates the nation’s Be The Match Registry^® of potential adult volunteer marrow donors and donated umbilical cord blood units, today applauded Congress for its continued funding support for the nation’s registry and an $1 million increase in funding for the nation’s Cord Blood Coordinating Center.

According to our estimates, every $1 million in additional funding for the nation’s Cord Blood Coordinating Center adds 667 new cord blood units to the registry. For each $1 million the Congress adds to the Program’s funding, 10,000 new donors can be added to the registry, which could result in many more donor matches and saved lives.

“We are pleased that Congress maintained funding rates for the nation’s bone marrow registry and increased funding for the cord blood registry for 2017, which will help to support access to life-saving transplant for more Americans,” said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of NMDP/Be The Match. “While we commend the Congress for maintaining current rates for the nation’s bone marrow and cord blood registries, we will work with Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in year ahead to secure increased funding so that we can continue to grow both registries to expand access to a potentially life-saving match to more patients diagnosed with cancers of the blood and other disease.” 

About National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match

National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match is the global leader in providing a cure to patients with life-threatening blood and marrow cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as other diseases. The nonprofit organization manages the world’s largest registry of potential marrow donors and cord blood units, connects patients to their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR^® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research^®), so more lives can be saved. NMDP/Be The Match also provides patient support and enlists the community to join the Be The Match Registry, contribute financially and volunteer. 

To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.