BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) announced on Friday that, to date, it has facilitated 19,000 hematopoietic stem cell donations from unrelated donors since its launch in 2001.
The CMDP, the world's fourth-largest bone marrow bank, also revealed that its registry of potential stem cell donors had approached nearly 3.49 million.
Hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow are responsible for producing all types of blood cells. Donations from unrelated volunteers can be life-saving for individuals battling blood disorders such as leukemia and sickle cell anemia.
As of September, the CMDP has provided human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching services to over 120,000 patients with blood disorders.
Furthermore, the CMDP has steadily expanded its volunteer network over the past years, establishing service teams in 90 percent of prefecture-level administrative regions. Nationwide, the number of registered CMDP volunteers has surpassed 100,000. ■
