DATRI and Anthony Nolan to co-host the 2027 International Donor Registry Conference in Chennai, India

DATRI, India’s largest registry, and Anthony Nolan, the world’s first stem cell donor register, will co-host the 2027 International Donor Registry Conference

Held in Chennai, India, this will be the first time two registries have partnered to host the conference

The conference will focus on the world’s fastest growing transplant market and emerging registries in the region with the need for global collaborative action to ensure more patients have access to lifesaving treatment and care

DATRI and Anthony Nolan have been research partners since 2019 and are working together to address the global shortage of stem cell donors for patients of South Asian heritage

Indian registry DATRI and UK register Anthony Nolan will co-host the 2027 International Donor Registry Conference (IDRC) in Chennai, India.

The event, which includes the WMDA (World Marrow Donor Association) Global Meetings, brings together representatives of stem cell donor registries and umbilical cord blood banks from around the world.

This is the first time the IDRC has come to the Asia Pacific region, home to 60 per cent of the global population, since Singapore hosted the event in 2016.

It’s also the first time two international registries have partnered to co-host, and the theme of collaborative action will be reflected throughout the event.

India has seen exponential growth in the number of registered donors, provisions, apheresis and transplant centres. Advances in medical research, increasing healthcare investment, and the rising prevalence of conditions treatable by stem cell therapies is also driving the sector forward.

This event gives emerging registers like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Philippines a unique opportunity to access global expertise, learn from established registers, and challenge received wisdom as they develop for the future.

Anthony Nolan, the world’s first stem cell donor register, was founded over 50 years ago in 1974 in the UK. Anthony Nolan supported DATRI’s foundation in 2009 and has been a close collaborator as it has grown to become India’s largest blood stem cell donor registry. The two organisations are now research partners aiming to give more patients access to matching donors in India, the UK, and around the world.

The conference will bring the explosive growth of the region into sharp focus, offering an opportunity to build capability alongside best practice, while giving established registries the chance to understand, partner with, support and learn from their newer counterparts. It recognises the strategic importance of the region and the vast Asian diaspora living across the world.

Sustainability will be a priority for the conference with a focus on supporting the local economy and keeping the environmental impact of the conference to a minimum.

Henny Braund, MBE, chief executive of Anthony Nolan:

We’re thrilled to be co-hosting the IDRC 2027 with our partners at DATRI. Our alliance brings together the oldest donor register with colleagues working in the world’s fastest-growing transplant region.
Our registries have had a special relationship since DATRI’s foundation, including on our research project to address the global shortage of stem cell donors for patients of South Asian heritage. This has shown encouraging early results, and five patients in India have already received a second chance of life from donors recruited through this initiative.
We want to build on our innovative research collaboration where we’re seeking to address the global shortage of suitable stem cell donors for patients with South Asian heritage. Only by working together can we transform the lives of even more patients all over the world.
Henny Braund, MBE, chief executive of Anthony Nolan

Dr Nezih Cereb, Co-Founder & Chairperson of DATRI:

I am very excited to see DATRI playing a leading role in the development of the global register community and partnering with Anthony Nolan to work alongside us.
I look forward to welcoming global colleagues to India in 2027 for a new conversation about how together we can save more lives.
Dr Nezih Cereb, Co-Founder & Chairperson of DATRI

Lydia Foeken, Chief Executive of the WMDA (World Marrow Donor Association):

We are very excited to see the IDRC and WMDA Global Meetings take place in India in 2027. The support and guidance that we can offer to emerging registries is vital during their foundation and will help them as they grow.
To be able to bring the global registry community together to focus on fast growing markets in this region is very important right now. I am confident WMDA members will all benefit from this focus on the Asia Pacific region, fundamentally enabling us all to help more patients around the world.
Lydia Foeken, Chief Executive of the WMDA (World Marrow Donor Association)

Notes to editors

For more information, and to enquire about media interviews, please contact the Anthony Nolan press office using press@anthonynolan.org or 020 7424 1300.    

Out of hours, contact the duty press officer on 07881 265 285.    

Please note: Anthony Nolan changed its name in 2011 and is no longer known as Anthony Nolan Trust.    

 About Anthony Nolan     

Anthony Nolan is a UK stem cell transplant charity with 50 years of expertise in uniting science and people to push the boundaries of what can be achieved for blood cancer and blood disorder patients.     

 Its world-leading stem cell register matches potential donors to patients in need of transplants. It carries out cell and gene therapy research to increase transplant success and supports patients through their transplant journeys.

 Anthony Nolan helps four people in need of a transplant a day, giving more people a second chance at life. But the charity won’t stop until all patients have access to the treatment they need, so many more survive.     

  Join Anthony Nolan’s register or support its research. Together, with your help, Anthony Nolan can unlock the answers inside us anthonynolan.org    

 What is a stem cell transplant?    

If a patient has a condition that affects their bone marrow or blood, then a stem cell transplant may be their best chance of survival. Doctors will give new, healthy stem cells to the patient via their bloodstream, where they begin to grow and create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.   

 Key statistics 

Founded by Shirley Nolan in 1974, Anthony Nolan is the world’s first stem cell donor register.
The charity facilitates around 1,100 stem cell transplants from an unrelated donor every year for patients in the UK and more than 300 for patients abroad. For many, a transplant is their last chance of survival.     
Since its inception Anthony Nolan has facilitated over 26,500 transplants for people around the world.      
Around 90% of donors donate through PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell collection). This is a simple, outpatient procedure. Donors are supported throughout the process by the Anthony Nolan team.   
Currently 16% of the UK Anthony Nolan stem cell register is made up of young men, but they account for more than half of people called upon to donate.   
People from minority ethnic backgrounds make up 16% of both the Anthony Nolan and the aligned UK stem cell registers, which is broadly representative of the UK population. There is a pressing need to recruit more people from diverse backgrounds to the Anthony Nolan register, to help more patients from minority ethnic backgrounds find the lifesaving matches they need.     
Blood cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the UK and the third biggest cancer killer. It accounts for 9% of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in the UK.     
To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30 and healthy. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research Institute has shown younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.

DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry is a not-for-profit organization that has facilitated over 1579 blood stem cell donations since its inception in 2009. Our mission began with the goal of finding unrelated matched donors for patients battling blood cancer and other blood disorders, whose survival often depends on these donors. With a registry of 6,04,000 registered donors, DATRI is enhancing survival chances for individuals across India and its global communities. We are dedicated to building a diverse database of potential blood stem cell donors, accessible to patients in need anywhere in the world. For more information, visit www.datri.org.

The WMDA (World Marrow Donor Association) is a global leader in connecting patients with life-saving stem cell donors. Founded in 1994 by pioneers in transplantation, WMDA unites experts from over 57 countries to ensure safe, ethical, and efficient donor matching.

Through advanced data systems like WMDA's Search & Match Service, WMDA streamlines global donor searches and promotes equal access to treatment. It also leads in biovigilance, standards, and registry support, while actively shaping the future of stem cell and cell & gene therapies.

With headquarters in Leiden, the Netherlands, WMDA is powered by a dedicated global community and celebrates over 30 years of driving innovation and reducing the time to transplant.