30 years of lifesaving progress
Since opening in 1996, ANRI has helped improve the outlook for patients and donors worldwide - shaping global clinical practice and expanding what's possible in stem cell transplant and cell therapy.
From confirming younger donors improve survival rates, to identifying key genetic factors in donor matching, and revealing the impact of ethnicity on stem cell transplant survival in the UK, ANRI’s work has consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible.
But there is still so much work that can, and must, be done. Despite all our progress, too few patients survive and too many suffer complications. And not everyone has equal access to, experiences of, or outcomes from treatment. We must do better, and we must do more.
Research is the key to unlocking better care, fairer access, and more lives saved. That’s why this anniversary is not just a moment to reflect on progress, but an opportunity to look ahead.
Over the next few months, we’ll be shining a spotlight on our research, the progress that’s been made to date, and how we’ll be tackling the next big challenges in stem cell transplant and cell therapies.
From humble beginnings to world-leading impact
Research has been at the heart of our work since Shirely Nolan took the incredible step of creating the world’s first register of volunteer donors.
When the register was launched in 1974, the science of ‘tissue-typing’ - the process of identifying a donor or patient’s genetic profile to see if they could be a stem cell transplant match – was in its infancy. The process was time-consuming and complex, and had to be carried out in a tiny laboratory with basic equipment borrowed from the local hospital.
The process to record and store donor tissue types was equally primitive. Personal computers didn’t exist, so donor records were stored on index cards in a shoebox.
Despite these simple surroundings, the team managed to add more than 1,500 people to the register in just a year. And as interest from the public to join the register grew over the following years, so did our ambition. We wanted more space to tissue-type potential donors, and to be able to carry out research to continue to improve our processes and understanding of what makes transplants successful.
In 1990 Anthony Nolan’s state-of-the-art laboratories were built, thanks to a major funding appeal led by the Round Table, giving Anthony Nolan a new facility to carry out its world-leading work to grow its register and match donors with patients for lifesaving transplants.
At the same time, we began making plans to build our very own research institute, to help uncover more about the science behind transplant and improve outcomes for patients. After another appeal, again supported by The Round Table, the Anthony Nolan Research Institute (ANRI) was officially opened in 1996 in Hampstead, London, where it remains to this day.
The institute is home to some of the world’s leading experts in stem cell transplant research, and has helped drive improvements in how transplants and cell therapies are carried out across the globe.
Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible
Over the last 30 years, ANRI's researchers have uncovered key insights into what makes a stem cell transplant successful, and how we can work to continue to improve outcomes for patients:
- In 2003 Anthony Nolan researchers demonstrated the importance of matching patients and donors for a new gene, HLA-DPB1, to improve outcomes. HLA-DPB1 is now used widely in the 50,000 donor stem cell transplants that happen each year across the globe, helping to manage the likelihood of negative side effects including disease relapse.
- In 2017 Anthony Nolan carried out the UK’s largest study into factors that can make a stem cell transplant more successful, finding young donors improve the chance of survival. The research reinforced our decision to become the first register to lower recruitment to 16, and someone aged 16 or 17 has given someone a second chance at life every month since.
- In 2024 Anthony Nolan research revealed the impact of ethnicity on stem cell transplant survival in the UK, finding Black and Asian cancer patients were 1.5 times more likely to die within five years of a donor transplant compared to White patients. The research is informing our work to reduce inequities through further research and register recruitment.
Having our own dedicated research institute means we can implement these findings directly into our lifesaving work, giving patients the best possible chance of surviving and thriving after a transplant.
Looking to the future
Despite progress, too few patients survive and too many suffer complications, like graft versus host disease (GvHD), where the donated stem cells attack the patient’s healthy cells. And inequities exist in patients’ access to, experience of, and outcomes from a stem cell transplant.
Dr Robert Danby, chief medical and scientific officer at Anthony Nolan, said:
“Over the last thirty years, we’ve helped transform the outlook for thousands of patients with blood cancer and serious blood disorders – helping more people than ever before live longer and better after a transplant. But we mustn’t stop here.
“This anniversary is both a celebration and a turning point. It highlights how far research has taken us - and how much further it can, and must, go. With continued support, collaboration and discovery, our research can help drive the next generation of breakthroughs.
“The next 30 years hold the potential to transform survival rates, reduce inequities, and ensure every patient has the best possible chance not just to survive, but to thrive.”
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You can help make a difference
Over the next few months, we’ll be looking at key areas of our research that aim to help more people survive and thrive after a stem cell transplant or cell therapy.
Our lifesaving research is only possible thanks to people who support our work. Find out how you can make a difference.