The life -saving stem cell center in Nottingham welcomes the first donors

The first British stem cell collection center, which is only dedicated to transplants, has started to welcome donors.

The Anthony Nolan Cell Collection Center in the Nottinghams Queen’s Medical Center (QMC) will help more people across Great Britain to donate potentially life -saving cells to patients with blood cancer and disorders.

Anthony Nolan’s charity organization said the center would create 1,300 new donation spaces a year and help to tackle a “long -term global lack of cell collection opportunities”.

Jordan from London said he was “proud” to be one of the first to donate. “I am really happy because I could save someone today,” he added.

The center is directed by the Anthony Nolan Accountability Organization in cooperation with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Clinical Research Facility.

Jordan was appointed by the charity to donate stem cells after analyzing a saliva sample that he had given nine years ago when he registered for the stem cell register on a Fresher ‘fairly at the University of Exeter, was a good game with a stranger.

“It is so easy to help someone else,” he said.

“I’m not the biggest fan of needles, but I’m happy to do something if it helps another person.”

Anthony Nolan has more than 900,000 people in their own register of potential donors.

A “long -standing global lack of cell collection options” meant that some patients did not receive a transplant at the best time.

The growing demand for cell -based treatments in some NHS and private hospitals has put more pressure than ever.

According to its own data, in 2022-23 only one fifth of the donors in the British register could donate to the date requested by the patient’s medical team due to capacity problems.

A transplant at the right time can have an irreversible influence on the intellectual and physical health of a patient, said Anthony Nolan and sometimes leaves it in a life -threatening condition.

The charity organization said that the chance to be voted out of its British register is the register one of 800 in the first five years.

Jordan said it felt “special” to help a stranger for whom a stem cell transplant could be her only hope of staying alive.

“I like to think if something would happen to me, someone would be ready to do the same thing,” he added.

A stem cell or bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for thousands of patients with blood cancer and disorders. It replaces damaged blood cells.

Stem cells are special cells produced by bone marrow, a spongy fabric in the middle of some bones that can turn into different types of blood cells.

Donation is simple, said Nicola Alderson – Chief Operating Officer from Anthony Nolan.

“You will be moved to a machine that has a needle in both arms,” ​​she said. “The blood goes through the machine that takes out the stem cells and enforces the rest of the blood.”

The process usually takes about five hours. As soon as the cells are collected from the bloodstream, they are typically transplanted into the recipient within 72 hours.

Anthony Nolan said that every contact between a donor and a patient depends on the patient’s data protection regulations and was directed by the patient.

The rules in Great Britain enable direct contact from two years since the last transplant, although some registrations in overseas may only allow contact five years after the preparation.

Anthony Nolan coordinates transplants for the NHS, collects and delivers cells to hospitals throughout the UK and sent cells abroad. Every year it is involved in more than 1,000 British transplants between donors and non -related recipients and sends cells abroad to another 300 patients.

Ms. Alderson said that before the new center, the charity organization had difficulty collecting stem cells “at the time of the time of the clinical community”.

“It is only five times that we were able to bring collections for donors where doctors asked for them,” she added.

She said when the recipients saw a bag of stem cells: “It is an incredible moment”.

“Ultimately, this little bag can save someone’s life. It is a bag of magic,” she added.

“We will ensure [donors] Get the best experience in our new center. “

The center was underfunded by Lomaze, which has come together with Anthony Nolan and collected £ 3.7 million A house grade in June.

It is estimated that the money will help finance the work of the center for 18 months.

Kathryn Fairbrother, director of clinical operations for research and innovation at the NHS trust at the University of Nottingham University (NUH), which leads the QMC, added: “There are opportunities for Anthony Nolan and for ourselves to do research that we would not have previously done.”

One of the planned research projects is to use stem cells to treat liver diseases.

The recipients of stem cell transplants such as RAJ will benefit from the new center.

The 32-year-old, a student of the University of Liverpool, received a stem cell transplant in Leicester in 2020 after rare blood cancer called myelofibrosis.

His cells came from an anonymous donor in Germany.

“I sent him an anonymous thank you letter, but I have not yet tried to get in touch directly. I would like to,” said Raj.

“It took me about one and a half to two years to relax. It took a long time and I had been sick from work for about a year.”

Raj added: “Nottingham development is a brilliant setup.

“It is fantastic to collect and collect and deliver to patients more efficiently.

Raj would like to see that more people register to become potential donors at Anthony Nolan.

You must be 16 to 30 years old to register and remain as a potential donor up to the age of 61.

Potential donors send a cheek smear sample and wait to see if you agree to anyone.

“We need more. It’s the ultimate act of friendliness,” added Raj.