The NMDP maintains a Registry of 3.3 million volunteers willing to donate their marrow if matched with a patient in need. Patients who are unable to find a matched donor within their family search the NMDP Registry for an unrelated donor. Today, more than 100 patients receive marrow transplants through the NMDP each month. I am pleased to say the doubters were wrong. Today, the National Marrow Donor Program Registry lists an a astounding 3.2 million volunteers and the program has facilitated more than 7000 transplants.
Marrow transplants require matching certain tissue traits of the donor and patient.
Most minorities who search the Registry, with its current donor pool, are less likely to find a marrow match than Caucasians. The more volunteers the NMDP is able to recruit from these communities, the better chance patients of every racial and ethnic background will have in finding matched donors. The law signed today will help the NMDP meet these challenges. Other provisions mandate the Program to continue patient support efforts through its Office of Patient Advocacy and maintain a scientific registry to track the progress of patients who have received marrow from an unrelated donor. By working together, we can continue to help families in need.