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What is Anthony Nolan?
Anthony Nolan is a charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer by matching remarkable people willing to donate their bone marrow (or stem cells) to patients in desperate need of a transplant.
We also do vital research to make stem cell transplants as successful as possible.
How does the Anthony Nolan register work?
People aged 16-30 can join our register. All they have to do is do a cheeky swab to join the register, and we put them on our database. Then, each time someone needs a donor, we look through our database for a match.
We have over 700,000 people on the register at the moment.
Is there a matching donor for everyone who needs a stem cell transplant?
Since the launch of our register in 1974, we have made 16,000 stem cell transplants possible.
However, even with over half a million people on the register, we urgently need to increase the size and diversity of potential donors. One day, we hope to help everyone who needs a lifesaving transplant.
How can I help Anthony Nolan save more lives?
You can:
Who can become a donor?
To join our register, you have to be between 16 and 30 and in good health. You’ll stay on the register until you’re 60.
You need to be fully committed to donating your blood stem cells or bone marrow if you come up as a match. Watch our animation to find out what it involves.
We’re particularly keen to recruit more young men on to the register. Young men make up only 15% of our register but are far more likely to be chosen to donate by transplant centres and provide more than 54% of all donations.
We also have a lack of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) potential donors. We urgently need more, so we can help more BAME people in need of lifesaving transplants.
How many potential donors do you have registered?
There are over 700,000 people on our register. But it’s not enough.
Join today and you could help us save the life of everyone who needs a transplant.
Is Anthony Nolan a charity?
Yes, we’re an independent charity. We rely on financial support from people and companies.
Our charity number is 803716 in England and Wales and 38827 in Scotland.
Does Anthony Nolan spend money on things other than the register?
We also do pioneering research into the treatment of blood cancers and disorders and improving the effectiveness of stem cell transplants.
Why do people need stem cell transplants?
A stem cell transplant can cure or improve the outcome for someone with blood cancer or blood disorder. In short, it can save their life.
When a person has a blood cancer or blood disorder, their blood cells have stopped working in their normal way. That means they can’t do vital things like fight infection or carry oxygen.
A transplant of blood stem cells from a healthy person can replace and repair these damaged cells – and hopefully cure their disease.
Blood stem cells are new, primitive blood cells made in the bone marrow, found in the centre of our large bones.
Why should I join your register?
To put it simply, you could save someone’s life.
You might be the only match in the world for someone with a life-threatening blood cancer or blood disorder.
Joining our register could be the most rewarding thing you ever do.
Who can become a donor?
To join our register, you have to be between 16 and 30 and in good health. You’ll stay on our register until you’re 60.
You need to be fully committed to donating your blood stem cells or bone marrow if you come up as a match. Watch our animation to find out what it involves
We’re particularly keen to recruit more young men to our register, as they're more likely to be chosen to donate.
We also have a lack of black and Asian minority ethnic (BAME) potential donors. We urgently need more, so we can help more BAME people in need of lifesaving transplants.
What if I can't join the register?
Don’t be disappointed – you can support us in lots of other ways.
It costs £40 to recruit each person to our register, so funds are vital. You could raise money for us, donate money to us or take part in a fundraising event.
You can also encourage others to join our register, especially if they’re young men.
How can I join the register?
The first step to joining the register is filling a form and then doing a cheeky swab. If you apply online we can send you a swab pack in the post, or you can come along to one of our recruitment events. You then stay on the register until you’re 60, and we’ll be in touch if you’re ever a potentially lifesaving match for someone.
Find out more in our Donate your stem cells section. If you have any questions, just call us on 0303 303 0303.
Why do you sign people up to the register using swabs?
You may have noticed that we changed from asking people to provide a spit sample, to asking people to do a cheeky swab to join the stem cell register.
Whichever method you sign up by, you’ll be on our register in exactly the same way and ready to potentially save somone's life. If you signed up with a spit or a swab, then there’s no need to sign up again. You can find out more about the switch to swabs here.
What happens to my sample after you take it?
They'll come back to Anthony Nolan and we find out your 'tissue type' in order to add your details to our register. Then every time somone needs a transplant, we'll compare their tissue type to yours - and to people on our register and registers across the world.
If I join the register will you definitely ask me to donate?
The majority of people on our register never donate. Once you are on the register you have a 1 in 790 chance of being asked to donate in the next five years.
But your chance of being chosen to donate depends on your age and sex. A young man aged 16-30 has a 1 in 170 chance of being chosen to donate in the next five years.
We’ll only ask you to donate if you have a similar tissue type to someone in desperate need of a transplant.
If you join our register, you must be willing to donate at any time, either by peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection or by bone marrow donation. Watch our animation to find out what the two methods involve.
If you’re a match and refuse, it could be devastating news for someone with a life-threatening illness. That’s why we ask you to be fully committed when you sign up.
Could the person who gets my stem cells be in another country?
They could be anywhere in the world, but they are more likely to be in the UK.
We link with 50 registers worldwide to find matches for people in the UK and provide stem cells for people in need abroad.
Do overseas donors help people in the UK?
Yes. We can search registers in 50 countries to find a match for someone in the UK. That’s over 23 million potential donors.
Does it cost to join the register?
No, it won’t cost you anything. It does cost us £40 to put each person on our register, though. And that’s why we continue to raise funds, so we can continue to grow our register.
If you’re a match and come to one of our collection centres in London, Sheffield or Manchester to donate, we’ll pay all your expenses, including travel, hotel, food and loss of earnings.
How will I donate my blood stem cells?
You can donate your blood stem cells in two ways – through peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection or bone marrow donation. Watch our animation to find out what the two methods involve.
Around 90% of people donate via PBSC collection. However, in some situations and for some conditions, a patient will need stem cells from bone marrow.
If you join our register, you must be willing to donate in either way.
What does peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation involve?
It’s a quick and simple process, similar to giving blood.
On each of the four days before you donate, a nurse will come to your home or office to give you injections of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). This is a naturally occurring hormone that increases the number of stem cells your body produces.
You’ll then come to one of our collection centres (in London, Sheffield or Manchester), where a doctor will insert a tiny tube in your arm, draw out your blood, and pass it through a machine to collect the stem cells.
Donating only takes 4-5 hours for most people. At the end, a nurse will check how many stem cells you’ve donated. There is a chance that you’ll be asked to come back the next day to donate more.
You won’t need a general anaesthetic or to stay in hospital overnight. Find out more.
Does peripheral blood stem cell donation have any side effects?
Side effects can include flu-like symptoms and aching. But they’re usually mild and last just a couple of days.
What does a bone marrow transplant involve?
If you need to give cells from your bone marrow (found inside your large bones), doctors will give you a general anaesthetic and draw the cells from your pelvis using a sterile needle and syringe.
You will need to stay in hospital for two nights if you donate bone marrow. Find out more.
Does bone marrow donation have any side effects?
You’ll probably feel tired and have a little bruising after, but this generally passes within a week or so.
Do donors and recipients get to meet?
The majority of our donors and recipients never meet.
For two years after the procedure, donors and recipients can only contact each other through messages sent via our team. After two years, and only if the recipient instigates it, they can exchange contact details.
Some other registers and transplant centres don’t allow contact at all, or have different guidelines. So if they’re involved in a transplant, donors and recipients may have to follow their rules.
We have strict rules so there can be no suggestion of a potential donor being coerced or induced to donate for financial or other reward. We also strongly believe in the importance of protecting the privacy of both the recipient and the donor.
Can you test me to see if I’m a match for my friend?
No. It's highly unlikely that two friends will share the same genetic profile. The best hope for your friend is to find a donor on our register, or on another international register.
But if you’re 16-30 years old and in good health, you could join our register and potentially save someone’s life.
I’ve already been tissue typed for a member of my family. Now I want to join the Anthony Nolan register. How do I do this?
You can join our register by completing this form. Please mention that you’ve been tissue typed before.
We’d appreciate it if you could forward us a copy of your HLA tissue typing results by email to lisa.cawley@anthonynolan.org or by post to: Lisa Cawley, 2 Heathgate Place, 75-87 Agincourt Road, London NW3 2NU. You should be able to get the tissue typing report from the hospital that did your testing.
If you have any questions, please do give us a call on 0303 303 0303.
Could I donate more than once? If so, how often?
If you donate, you'll be asked if you want to stay on our register and potentially donate again.
Although it’s unusual, some of our donors have donated more than once. We allow donor to give stem cells a maximum of four times.
I've registered for bone marrow but what about blood and organ donation?
Please visit the NHS Blood & Transplant website for more information
Who can become a donor?
To join our register, you have to be between 16 and 30 and in good health. You’ll stay on the register until you’re 60.
You need to be fully committed to donating your blood stem cells or bone marrow if you come up as a match. Watch our animation to find out what the two methods involve.
We’re particularly keen to recruit more young men on to our register, as they are the most likely to be chosen by doctors to donate.
We also have a lack of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) potential donors. We urgently need more, so we can help more BAME people in need of lifesaving transplants.
Currently, only 60% of transplant recipients receive the best possible match, and this drops dramatically to 20% if you're from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background. By building and diversifying our register we will be able provide the best match to even more people with blood cancer.
Why do you need to recruit more men?
Young men make up only 15% of our register but provide 54% of all donations. We need more young men to sign up as they're underrepresented - even though hospitals are much more likely to choose them to donate.
What if I can’t join the register?
Don’t be disappointed – you can support us in lots of other ways.
It costs £40 to recruit each person to our register, so funds are vital. You could raise money for us, donate money to us or take part in a fundraising event.
You can also encourage others to join our register, especially if they’re young men.
Why do I have to be over 16 to join the register?
To be a donor you have to give what’s called ‘informed consent’. As stem cell donation is voluntary and not of direct benefit to the donor, a parent/guardian can’t give consent on behalf of a minor.
Why is 30 the upper age limit to join the register?
Young people are most likely to be chosen to donate as they are less likely to have long-term health problems which might delay or prevent donation.
Why do you need to recruit more black and minority ethnic (BAME) donors?
Someone in need of a transplant is most likely to find a match in a person with a similar genetic history. That often means someone from the same ethnic background.
Potential donors from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are underrepresented on the register. This includes people from African, African-Caribbean, Asian, Chinese, Eastern European, Mediterranean and mixed race backgrounds.
For example, less than 4% of the people on our register are Asian.
I am over 30 and from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community (BAME) - surely the chance that I might match a patient is better than not finding them a match at all?
Putting people on the register who are statistically unlikely to be selected is not only expensive but also diverts our scientists away from processing the samples of younger volunteers who are more likely to be selected. We will save more lives by ensuring that we have a register of people who are most likely to be selected by transplant clinicians. Also we are proactively recruiting younger BAME donors to increase the diversity of the register.
Can I join the register if I can’t speak English?
The welfare of our donors is a top priority for us. It’s our responsibility to keep our donors fully informed and make sure they understand the commitment they’re making by joining our register.
To fulfil this responsibility, we only allow people to join if they can understand our literature and give their consent in English.
If potential donors don’t understand English, we can’t be sure they can give their informed consent if we ask them to donate. That would be a breach of our duty of care.
Is there more than one bone marrow register in the UK?
Anthony Nolan, The British Bone Marrow Register (operated by NHS Blood & Transplant), The Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (operated by the Welsh Blood Service) and DKMS UK all recruit donors in the UK.
All these organisations add their donors to a single UK registry, the Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry, which Anthony Nolan manages.
Do I need to join more than one register?
No, you only need to join one bone marrow register. All potential donors in the UK are added to a single registry managed by Anthony Nolan. Joining more than one would cause duplication and waste valuable resources.
Are there any restrictions to joining the register?
Yes, there are. You have to be between 16 and 30 and in good health. Take a look at our Who can join the register? page.
The British Bone Marrow Registry (operated by NHS Blood & Transplant) accepts donors between the ages of 17-40. You must be a blood donor to join the BBMR, as an extra sample of blood is taken when you donate. The BBMR is in particular need of donors from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities; if you're interested, please ask at your blood donation session BEFORE you donate blood. Go to blood.co.uk for more information on your nearest blood donation session and how to sign up as a blood donor.
I’m a gay man. Can I join the register?
Yes. Your sexuality won’t stop you joining our register. You’ll be subject to the same rules as everyone else. Find out more on our Who can join the register? page.
What happens to my swab sample after you take it?
We’ll transport it to our laboratories to test it and record your ‘tissue type’. Then every time someone needs a transplant, we’ll compare their tissue type to yours – and to people on our register and registers across the world.
What is a tissue type?
Someone’s tissue type is defined by the characteristics of six genes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1), collectively known as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes.
How many tissue types are there?
We don’t know the total number. The HLA genes that define our tissue type are very variable. So it’s extremely unlikely that two randomly selected individuals would have identical tissue types.
What does this mean for stem cell transplants?
A successful stem cell transplant all depends on finding the right HLA match. About 30% of people can find a HLA match with their sibling or another family member. But that leaves 70% who need to look to a stem cell register for an unrelated donor.
What other work do your laboratories do?
As well as tissue typing potential donors who join the Anthony Nolan register, our laboratories also provide tissue typing services for stem cell transplant centres in the UK. The laboratories support the Royal Free Hospital in London’s renal and liver transplant programme too.
What accreditation do your laboratories have?
The laboratories are accredited by Clinical Pathology Limited (UK) and the European Federation for Immunogenetics.
What expertise do your laboratories have?
We pride ourselves on having one of the best groups of tissue typing and immunogenetics experts in the UK.
Our Donor Selection Advisory Committee, made up of senior staff, advises our transplant centres on choosing donors.
What is the Anthony Nolan Research Institute?
Established in 1996, our Research Institute aims to make bone marrow transplants more successful. Staff there do both basic and ‘translational’ research (looking at how to use basic scientific discoveries in the real world).
What does the Research Institute do?
It investigates how to improve transplantation practice. For example, how best to match donors and recipients.
The institute also looks at how to improve people’s recuperation by stopping disease relapse, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and infectious diseases.
What are the main areas of your research programme?
We are working hard to solve the four main problems in stem cell transplantation:
What recent scientific articles have come from the Research Institute?
In 2013, we published a record 40 research papers.
Does Anthony Nolan test on animals?
What is cord blood?
It’s the blood left in the placenta and umbilical cord after a woman has given birth.
Cord blood contains lots of stem cells, which can be used in lifesaving transplants for people with blood cancers or disorders.
Anthony Nolan collects cord blood in four hospitals in London, Manchester, Leicester. Collection only happens after the birth, when the baby is safely delivered. It’s totally risk-free for mothers and newborns.
Why is cord blood particularly useful?
Stem cells for transplants can come from adults’ blood or bone marrow, as well as from cord blood.
But cord blood transplants have lots of advantages.
Getting adult donations is a long process. If we find someone a match on our register, we have to do more tests on the potential donor, and it takes time to organise the donation and transplant.
Cord blood is banked in our cell therapy centre in Nottingham and is available immediately, for people in desperate need.
Also, donors and recipients don’t need to be an exact match, as the stem cells in cord blood aren’t so mature and can develop to suit their recipient. That means it’s easier to find matches.
Where can I donate cord blood?
We’re set up to collect cord blood at four hospitals in Manchester, London, and Leicester:
• Saint Mary's,Manchester
• King’s College Hospital in London
• Leicester Royal Infirmary
• Leicester General Hospital
You can only donate your cord blood if you’re booked for antenatal care at one of these hospitals.
You can donate at another six London hospitals via the NHS Cord Blood Bank.
How do I register my interest in donating cord blood?
Visit our Register your interest page and fill out our form.
Am I eligible to donate my cord blood?
Most mothers can donate their cord blood. But there are some medical conditions and lifestyle factors which mean you can’t.
How do you collect cord blood?
It’s an easy process, and only happens after the birth and afterbirth are over and you’ve done all the hard work.
Our specially trained staff will take your cord and placenta away to another room to extract the blood. You’ll barely even know they’re there. It’s totally risk- and hassle-free for mother and baby.
Anthony Nolan employs teams of dedicated collectors so that we don’t place any demands on your midwife or consultant.
Read about the exact process on our How do I donate? page.
If I sign up, will you definitely collect and store my cord blood?
We can’t guarantee it. We may not collect/store your cord blood because:
How long do you store cord blood for?
We store it until someone needs it for a transplant (or for research, if the blood doesn’t have enough stem cells to use for a transplant). We can store cord blood indefinitely, frozen in cryogenic tanks at temperatures of around -190°C.
When would you use cord blood for research?
We only use cord blood in ethically approved research if it doesn’t contain enough stem cells to use for a transplant.
What’s the difference between private and public cord blood banking?
We run our cord blood bank as a public bank to help anyone around the world who needs a stem cell transplant. It doesn’t cost anything to donate cord blood to our programme.
Commercial cord blood banks charge to collect and store babies’ cord blood for private family use.
Why don’t you collect cord blood at more hospitals?
We don’t get any direct government funding, so we can only fund collection at a limited number of hospitals.
We chose the four hospitals in Manchester, London and Leicester because they have high birth rates, and are in ethnically diverse areas. That way we can collect a wide variety of tissue types and help a wide variety of people.
Can babies be cloned using cord blood?
No. The Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001 prohibits any attempt to create a child by reproductive cloning.
Anthony Nolan Operations, Cord Blood Programme and Histocompatibility Laboratory Complaints Policy
We value your support and our relationships. We also value the chance to put right anything you feel we may have done wrong. If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of our professional services, please email our complaints team at complaints@anthonynolan.org.
If you contact us with a complaint, please tell us:
The department which you feel is the source of your complaint (i.e. Operations, the Cord Blood Programme or the Histocompatibility Laboratory)
What happened
When it happened
Where it happened
Who was involved
Whether it’s an original complaint or a follow-up to a reply with which you were not satisfied
What action you’d like us to take
Your full postal address, telephone number, and email address (if you have one)
Please provide as much information as possible.
If you prefer to put your complaint in the form of a letter, please address the correspondence to:
The Professional Services Complaints Team
Anthony Nolan
Unit 2 Heathgate Place
Agincourt Road
London NW3 2NU
What happens when I complain?
If you make a formal complaint about our professional services, you should expect to hear from us within 14 days of us receiving the complaint. We aim to respond in full within this time, but if this isn’t possible we’ll inform you that we are looking into your complaint and we will give you details of when you can expect a full reply.
Our Professional Complaints Team will pass your complaint to the most appropriate person for investigation. This depends on the activity in question, and the person or department who had responsibility for it. Your complaint will be investigated, and within 30 days of us receiving your complaint, the outcome of our investigation will be sent to you in writing. If we are unable to complete our investigation within 30 days (for example, for reasons of absence of a key staff member or because information is outstanding from an agency), we will contact you to explain the situation.
If you have a complaint about fundraising, find more information in our fundraising complaints section.
How do I make a donation?
You can make a regular gift or one-off gift to Anthony Nolan online. Any donations you make through our website will be safe and secure. We will not sell or share your data with any other organisations for fundraising or marketing purposes unless they’re working on behalf of Anthony Nolan. Thank you for your support.
Or you can send a cheque payable to ‘Anthony Nolan’ to:
Supporter Services
Anthony Nolan
2 Heathgate Place
75-87 Agincourt Road
London
NW3 2NU
You can also call us on 020 7424 6626 to donate with a credit or debit card over the phone.
Can I Gift Aid my donation?
Yes – if you pay UK income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount we can claim back from HMRC.
You can find more information by calling our Supporter Services team on 020 7424 6626.
How will you spend my donation?
We depend on generous donations from people like you to recruit more people to our register, so we can save more lives.
I don’t live in the UK. Can I donate money?
Yes, you can. You can give a one-off donation online.
You can also call our Supporter Services team on 020 7424 6626 to donate using a credit or debit card.
Unfortunately, non-UK residents can’t give regularly by direct debit.
I want to fundraise for Anthony Nolan, but I’m not sure what to do. Do you have any ideas?
There are loads of ways you can fundraise for Anthony Nolan. Check out our 'raise money' and 'take part in a fundraising event' sections for ideas.
For more information and ideas, call the Fundraising team any time on 0303 303 3002 or email community@anthonynolan.org.
