- TxMiller Foundation to make an unconditional €300,000 donation and in addition €200,000 matched contribution over five years of support
- The IPD-IMGT/HLA database was set up by Dr James Robinson and Professor Steven Marsh in 1998 and now plays a critical role in global transplant provision and research
- Funding will directly support the crucial maintenance and development of the HLA database
[Wednesday April 22] TxMiller Foundation, an initiative of GenDx co-founders Erik Rozemuller and Wietse Mulder, has generously agreed to provide stem cell charity Anthony Nolan with financial support towards the work of Dr James Robinson, Director of Bioinformatics Research at Anthony Nolan, and his team on the IPD-IMGT/HLA Database.
The incredible financial support, provided through the NMDP support path, begins this year with a €100,000 donation, directly supporting the continued operation of the database which underpins transplants around the world. This support is critical to continue ongoing maintenance of the database and provides a foundation for continued development to meet the needs of the community. Sequencing technologies continue to evolve, and this brings with it more data, more sequences and more genes of interest to its users. Funding is vital to ensure the database can keep pace with users' needs. From year two onwards, the unconditional support will be €50.000, plus a matched contribution maximized to €50.000. TxMiller will support Anthony Nolan to collect the matched contribution from other organizations.
The IPD-IMGT/HLA Database, which is managed by a team of five researchers at the Anthony Nolan Research Institute (ANRI), in collaboration with EMBL-EBI (the European Bioinformatics Institute), is crucial in global transplant provision and research. The database logs every discovered variant of the HLA genes, used in patient/donor matching for both stem cell transplants and solid organ transplants. This allows scientists and clinicians around the world to use a shared genetic language, ensuring transplant matching is as accurate as possible while adding to our foundational knowledge about the function of the immune system.
The HLA genes are one of the most complex and diverse parts of the human genome. Making sense of this part of our DNA requires both deep biological understanding and advanced computational analysis.
First becoming available online in 1998, the database was set up by Dr James Robinson and Professor Steven Marsh and became the world’s first public searchable database of the HLA variants. The Database currently holds the sequences of over 46,000 variants for dozens of HLA and HLA-related genes and remains the world’s leading resource for the most up-to-date information on the HLA gene sequences. It’s now accessed many times an hour by users in 150 countries to assist in research and transplant provision.
Henny Braund MBE, Chief Executive of stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan and President-Elect of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), said:
“We’re very grateful to TxMiller Foundation for this generous support. Their contribution to this world-leading resource is critical to advancing our collective understanding of the unique variation of the HLA genes. Ultimately, the more accurate we can be in matching patients with donors, the more we can improve the effectiveness of stem cell transplants. The five-year financial commitment from the Foundation allows us to plan our work and support advancements across the world.”
Wietse Mulder PhD, co-founder of TxMiller Foundation, said: “
“Since the onset of Genome Diagnostics, nowadays known as GenDx, we have been organized according to the adagium: ”Dare to share”. Unconditional sharing of stem cells or an organ by a donor is also a prerequisite for successful transplantation. But accurate HLA matching is crucial, which can only be done when all transplant laboratories have access to the IMGT/HLA database that stores curated DNA sequence information.
“From the beginning we have supported this open access database. Erik Rozemuller and I am glad that at this stage in our career, we may support Dr. James Robinson and his team such IMGT/HLA database continues to play this pivotal role in the field of transplantation.”
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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.
Stem cells hold enormous potential and have the power to help people with blood cancers and blood disorders. This potential inspires everything Anthony Nolan does. Driven by patients, backed by stem cell donors, and powered by science, the charity won’t stop until the lifesaving potential of the cells inside us all has been uncovered.
Join Anthony Nolan’s register or support its research. Together, with your help, Anthony Nolan can unlock the answers inside us anthonynolan.org
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 TxMiller
The TxMiller Foundation was established in 2024 by GenDx co-founders Erik Rozemuller PhD, and Wietse Mulder PhD. The Foundation is partially funded through the sale of GenDx in October 2022, along with donations from individual donors and private organizations.
Since we understand the impact a donor can have on a patient’s life, we are committed to advancing the field of Life Sciences, with a special focus on transplantation. Our mission is “to improve the quality of life and survival of transplant patients”.
The name TxMiller reflects both our mission and our heritage: ‘Tx’ refers to the field of transplantation. ‘Miller’ combines both founders’ last names and honours their Dutch heritage; the country known for its renowned windmills.
www.txmiller.org