Parliament to host stem cell drop-in
Henny Braund MBE and Mark Tami MP
1 min read
The blood cancer and disorder charity Anthony Nolan is holding a parliamentary drop-in as part of its drive to recruit stem cell donors.
The annual Communities vs Blood Cancer event will be held on 26 October from 1pm to 4pm in Room R of Portcullis House, having been moved from Terrace Dining Room B.
It is sponsored by Labour MP Mark Tami, chair of the APPG on Stem Cell Transplantation and Advanced Cellular Therapies, whose son had a bone marrow transplant.
The occasion will encourage MPs, peers, staff and officials to set up local recruitment events for the stem cell register, where participants aged 16-30 can sign up via a single cheek swab. MPs will also be able to pick up a toolkit to help organise events in their constituency.
Around 2,000 people a year in the UK need a stem cell donor to save their lives. Anthony Nolan aims to recruit more people from ethnic minorities, as they have significantly less chance of finding a matching stem cell from an unrelated donor, and more young men aged 16 to 30, as their donations provide a better chance of patient survival.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House's morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.
