We’re delighted to announce that over 2,000 new Asian bone marrow donors have been added to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register over the last six months, as part of our Reach the Six campaign which launched at the start of this year.
Asian people are under-represented on the Anthony Nolan register – just 4% of registered bone marrow donors are Asian, compared to 6% of the UK population.
We use our register to match bone marrow donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of bone marrow transplant. For many of these patients, a bone marrow transplant is their last chance of survival.
“Reaching 2,000 donors is an incredible milestone,” comments Reach the Six campaign manager Gulshan Noorani. “But our work doesn’t end there. Someone from a Northern European background has a 90% chance of finding a suitable donor; if you’re from a black, Asian or other ethnic minority background, this falls to just 40%.
“Anyone can be diagnosed with a blood cancer so we need to ensure that we’re giving all patients, regardless of background, the best possible chance of finding a suitable donor. We will continue to encourage people from all ethnic minority backgrounds to sign up to the register.”
Anyone aged 16–30 can join the register. Potential donors can sign up online by filling in a short application form and providing a saliva sample.
For the latest data and information, visit our
Facts & Stats page