To ensure sustainability and resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply, the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum recommended a 45% share for UK-to-UK donor to recipient provision. Imported stem cells have a significantly higher cost than collecting them from UK donors. Through our funding of the DHSC Stem Cell Programme we have supported recruitment of UK donors to the UK aligned stem cell registry to make progress towards the suggested target. The Department recognises that UK-to-UK provision has nonetheless continued to decline and we have launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised.

To ensure sustainability and resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply, the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum recommended a 45% share for UK-to-UK donor to recipient provision. Imported stem cells have a significantly higher cost than collecting them from UK donors. Through our funding of the DHSC Stem Cell Programme we have supported recruitment of UK donors to the UK aligned stem cell registry to make progress towards the suggested target. The Department recognises that UK-to-UK provision has nonetheless continued to decline and we have launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised.

To ensure sustainability and resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply, the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum recommended a 45% share for UK-to-UK donor to recipient provision. Imported stem cells have a significantly higher cost than collecting them from UK donors. Through our funding of the DHSC Stem Cell Programme we have supported recruitment of UK donors to the UK aligned stem cell registry to make progress towards the suggested target. The Department recognises that UK-to-UK provision has nonetheless continued to decline and we have launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised.

The Department’s Stem Cell Programme has facilitated the creation of a unified stem cell registry, a cord stem cell bank, and most recently included a focus on diverse donor recruitment to reduce health inequalities. The Department has agreed to a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), providing £800,000 per year to support priorities identified by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum. The programme will support projects aimed at improving donor availability and implementing the recommendations of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum Data Commission. It will include initiatives that improve access to stem cell transplantation for patients from minority ethnic and mixed heritage backgrounds. NHSBT will allocate half of the funding following an open funding call. Details of successful projects and funding allocations will be determined following completion of the application and assessment process.

There are growing challenges associated with recruiting and retaining volunteer stem cell donors. This is the experience of registries worldwide since the global COVID-19 pandemic. NHSBT and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to undertake targeted recruitment activities, including a particular focus on younger donors and donors from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, to support sustainable growth of the United Kingdom donor base and improve access to suitably matched donors for UK patients.

A range of factors may affect donor availability, including changes in personal circumstances and donor demographics. UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to implement measures to improve donor engagement and retention and to reduce attrition throughout the donation pathway. The Department’s Stem Cell Programme will support the Data Commission recommendations and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry activity to improve donor availability when identified as a potential match for a patient.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and that use for transplantation is optimised. Donor recruitment and retention will be considered as part of this review.

The United Kingdom maintains a national cord blood inventory through NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan's Cord Blood Banks, ensuring that cord blood remains available as an important treatment option for patients where it is clinically indicated. NHSBT and Anthony Nolan continue to monitor developments in clinical practice and emerging evidence relating to cord blood transplantation, in the face of a significant international decline in clinical demand for cord blood, and a reduced demand in the United Kingdom as alternative clinical options such as haplo-identical transplant have been preferred by many clinicians in the last five years. NHSBT and Anthony Nolan are running a number of initiatives to help support the UK transplant community to encourage use of cord blood. These initiatives include cord blood selection advisory panels, cord thawing and transfusion support programmes, and annual Cord Blood Residential workshops for clinicians which are all supported by the UK Cord Blood Working Group.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised. Variation in selection of stem cell source across transplant centres will be considered as part of the review.

The number of minority ethnic and mixed heritage donors added to the United Kingdom aligned stem cell registry each year are presented in annual State of the Registry Reports, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.anthonynolan.org/what-we-do/our-organisation/annual-reviews-and-reports?page=1

It should be noted that the reports refer to donors ‘made active’, potential donors who have been tissue typed and are searchable on the registry, as opposed to ‘recruited’, when the details of the potential donor are first taken. There is a small delay from recruited to made active.

Data relating to stem cell transplantation, including patient demographic information and clinical outcomes, is collected by transplant centres. The Data Commission, established by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum, is working to make collection, availability, and analysis of this data is more consistent throughout the patient pathway from diagnosis to long term follow up.

NHS Blood and Transplant and registry partners continue to invest in digital infrastructure and participate in international initiatives to improve data exchange and streamline donor search and procurement processes. Work is ongoing to modernise registry connectivity through the adoption of new digital platforms and standards, improving end-to-end integration across the transplant pathway. These efforts will need to be complemented by investment in transplant centre data collection and exchange.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised. Data systems and governance will be considered as part of this review.

Clinical decisions regarding graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, including the use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy), are made by specialist transplant clinicians in accordance with the latest clinical evidence and professional guidance. The Department supports the adoption of evidence-based practice across National Health Service transplant services but does not mandate the use of specific clinical protocols. Recent guidance on the use of PTCy has been published by the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (BSBMTCT), and is available at the following link:

https://bsbmtct.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/UK-Clinical-Community-Consensus-on-the-Emerging-use-of-PTCy-Final-version-November-2025.pdf

There are current United Kingdom trials and rapidly developing BSBMTCT supported algorithms that will support the use of PTCy.

The Department’s Stem Cell Programme has facilitated the creation of a unified stem cell registry, a cord stem cell bank, and most recently included a focus on diverse donor recruitment to reduce health inequalities. The Department has agreed to a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), providing £800,000 per year to support priorities identified by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum. The programme will support projects aimed at improving donor availability and implementing the recommendations of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum Data Commission. It will include initiatives that improve access to stem cell transplantation for patients from minority ethnic and mixed heritage backgrounds. NHSBT will allocate half of the funding following an open funding call. Details of successful projects and funding allocations will be determined following completion of the application and assessment process.

There are growing challenges associated with recruiting and retaining volunteer stem cell donors. This is the experience of registries worldwide since the global COVID-19 pandemic. NHSBT and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to undertake targeted recruitment activities, including a particular focus on younger donors and donors from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, to support sustainable growth of the United Kingdom donor base and improve access to suitably matched donors for UK patients.

A range of factors may affect donor availability, including changes in personal circumstances and donor demographics. UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to implement measures to improve donor engagement and retention and to reduce attrition throughout the donation pathway. The Department’s Stem Cell Programme will support the Data Commission recommendations and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry activity to improve donor availability when identified as a potential match for a patient.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and that use for transplantation is optimised. Donor recruitment and retention will be considered as part of this review.

The number of minority ethnic and mixed heritage donors added to the United Kingdom aligned stem cell registry each year are presented in annual State of the Registry Reports, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.anthonynolan.org/what-we-do/our-organisation/annual-reviews-and-reports?page=1

It should be noted that the reports refer to donors ‘made active’, potential donors who have been tissue typed and are searchable on the registry, as opposed to ‘recruited’, when the details of the potential donor are first taken. There is a small delay from recruited to made active.

Data relating to stem cell transplantation, including patient demographic information and clinical outcomes, is collected by transplant centres. The Data Commission, established by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum, is working to make collection, availability, and analysis of this data is more consistent throughout the patient pathway from diagnosis to long term follow up.

NHS Blood and Transplant and registry partners continue to invest in digital infrastructure and participate in international initiatives to improve data exchange and streamline donor search and procurement processes. Work is ongoing to modernise registry connectivity through the adoption of new digital platforms and standards, improving end-to-end integration across the transplant pathway. These efforts will need to be complemented by investment in transplant centre data collection and exchange.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised. Data systems and governance will be considered as part of this review.

The Department’s Stem Cell Programme has facilitated the creation of a unified stem cell registry, a cord stem cell bank, and most recently included a focus on diverse donor recruitment to reduce health inequalities. The Department has agreed to a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), providing £800,000 per year to support priorities identified by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum. The programme will support projects aimed at improving donor availability and implementing the recommendations of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum Data Commission. It will include initiatives that improve access to stem cell transplantation for patients from minority ethnic and mixed heritage backgrounds. NHSBT will allocate half of the funding following an open funding call. Details of successful projects and funding allocations will be determined following completion of the application and assessment process.

There are growing challenges associated with recruiting and retaining volunteer stem cell donors. This is the experience of registries worldwide since the global COVID-19 pandemic. NHSBT and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to undertake targeted recruitment activities, including a particular focus on younger donors and donors from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, to support sustainable growth of the United Kingdom donor base and improve access to suitably matched donors for UK patients.

A range of factors may affect donor availability, including changes in personal circumstances and donor demographics. UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry partners continue to implement measures to improve donor engagement and retention and to reduce attrition throughout the donation pathway. The Department’s Stem Cell Programme will support the Data Commission recommendations and UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry activity to improve donor availability when identified as a potential match for a patient.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and that use for transplantation is optimised. Donor recruitment and retention will be considered as part of this review.

The number of minority ethnic and mixed heritage donors added to the United Kingdom aligned stem cell registry each year are presented in annual State of the Registry Reports, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.anthonynolan.org/what-we-do/our-organisation/annual-reviews-and-reports?page=1

It should be noted that the reports refer to donors ‘made active’, potential donors who have been tissue typed and are searchable on the registry, as opposed to ‘recruited’, when the details of the potential donor are first taken. There is a small delay from recruited to made active.

Data relating to stem cell transplantation, including patient demographic information and clinical outcomes, is collected by transplant centres. The Data Commission, established by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum, is working to make collection, availability, and analysis of this data is more consistent throughout the patient pathway from diagnosis to long term follow up.

NHS Blood and Transplant and registry partners continue to invest in digital infrastructure and participate in international initiatives to improve data exchange and streamline donor search and procurement processes. Work is ongoing to modernise registry connectivity through the adoption of new digital platforms and standards, improving end-to-end integration across the transplant pathway. These efforts will need to be complemented by investment in transplant centre data collection and exchange.

The Department has launched a comprehensive review of the current system to ensure stem cell supply and use for transplantation is optimised. Data systems and governance will be considered as part of this review.

The import of stem cells is important for ensuring that patients can be matched to the most suitable donor, but it relies on global supply chains that can be vulnerable to disruption. Anthony Nolan is responsible for importing stem cells to the United Kingdom in response to requests from clinicians where the most suitable matched donor is outside the UK. Business continuity plans are in place in case of disruption to supply. Systems are also in place to support domestic supply, which is less vulnerable to disruption. Through our funding of the Department’s stem cell programme, we have supported recruitment of UK donors to the UK aligned stem cell registry and supported the creation of a cord stem cell bank. The Department is also funding research to improve techniques for cryopreservation of stem cells, which permits long term storage of viable stem cells until a suitable time to transplant them.