Contracts Support Continuing Vital Patient Services and Expanding Programs

NMDP Secures Key Contracts from HRSA

Today the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) announced it has been awarded three contracts by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). These contracts will allow the NMDP to continue and expand critical work together with HRSA to serve patients in need of a marrow or cord blood transplant.

Under the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, enacted by Congress in 2005, the NMDP will continue to serve as a single point of access for transplant patients through its role as the Bone Marrow Coordinating Center and the Office of Patient Advocacy. In addition, the NMDP was awarded the contract to act as the nation’s Cord Blood Coordinating Center. Earlier this month the NMDP’s research partner, the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), was awarded the contract to collect and analyze marrow and blood cell transplant outcomes data to help improve these transplants for patients. (http://www.cibmtr.org/NEWS/hrsa_contract.pdf)

The announcement comes at a time of tremendous growth in transplant therapy. “This year alone, the NMDP saw a 20 percent increase in the number of transplants, as well as a 100 percent increase in the use of cord blood as a treatment for both children and adults,” said Michael Boo, NMDP strategic development officer. Since its founding in 1986 the NMDP has provided 25,000 patients with a second chance at life.

“The new contracts allow the NMDP to assume new responsibilities, particularly in the areas of research and cord blood transplantation,” said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., NMDP chief executive officer. “Working closely with HRSA, we will continue to serve thousands of patients who are in desperate need of a transplant. From searching the NMDP Registry of volunteers and cord blood units, to supporting patients and their doctors through the transplant process and working with researchers to improve patient outcomes, the NMDP continues its mission to help save lives.”

The federal program also will provide federal funding to multiple cord blood banks to increase the number of cord blood units available for matches with the long-term goal of providing an additional 150,000 cord blood units for public use. “The creation of a national cord blood program provides great opportunity in the treatment of many life-threatening blood disorders,” said U.S. Rep. C. W. Bill Young (R- Fla.), for whom the program is named. “The increase in cord blood units provides additional options for patients and their doctors, particularly for minority patients.”

Young, an internationally recognized leader in increasing support and funding for biomedical research, was instrumental in founding the NMDP after learning that a national registry could provide potentially life-saving treatment for those diagnosed with leukemia and other blood diseases. The congressman and his wife became aware of the need for marrow transplantation while helping a child from their district. Young initiated the marrow donation effort with $2 million appropriated to the U.S. Navy's marrow transplantation research program. From 1999 to 2005, Young served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, during which time he successfully led the effort in Congress to double federal medical research funding over five years for a variety of needs, including blood diseases. The program’s name recognizes Young’s critical contribution in initiating and supporting this national program on behalf of thousands of patients needing transplants each year and for helping to pass the legislation creating the cord blood program and reauthorizing the bone marrow registry.

For more information about the work of the NMDP, see:

• What We Do  
• How the NMDP Helps Patients