The NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry has called for more people from Black, Asian and mixed heritage communities to register as potential stem cell donors, as part of Stem Cell Awareness Week, which began on 12 October.
Cherry Brown, senior communications officer at NHS Blood and Transplant, shared the story of one donor with BioNews.
Alfred Mureithi, from London, joined the registry last year after donating blood. He was matched with a patient soon afterwards and donated stem cells earlier this year. He initially thought stem cell donation involved a procedure on the bone marrow. However, after learning that most donations are collected from the blood, he decided to register.
His donation involved injections in the days beforehand to increase the number of stem cells in his bloodstream, followed by a collection procedure lasting several hours.
Patients are more likely to find a suitable stem cell donor with a similar ethnic background. Of the more than 400,000 potential donors on the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, around 12 percent are from Black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds. Nearly 5000 people from these communities joined the registry in 2025/26, an increase of five percent on the previous year.
Eligible blood, platelet and plasma donors aged 17 to 40 can join the registry at a donation appointment. More information about eligibility and the donation process is available from the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry.