House Passes Matsui's TRANSPLANT Act

Press Release

Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass Congresswoman Doris Matsui's (CA-06) Timely ReAuthorization of Necessary Stem-cell Programs Lends Access to Needed Therapies (TRANSPLANT) Act (H.R. 4764), a bill that reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory.

"For patients and families facing blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, as well as over 70 other otherwise fatal diseases, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant may be the best treatment or only potential for a cure," said Congresswoman Matsui. "Congress has long recognized the need to coordinate life-saving transplants between patients and unrelated donors, and we must continue to support the national registry that provides so many with a second chance at life. This year, there is an even greater sense of urgency to continue federal support for these life-saving programs as they navigate the challenges of facilitating transplants during a global pandemic. I applaud my colleagues in the House for approving this bipartisan legislation and I urge the Senate to do the same."

The National Marrow Donor Program®(NMDP)/Be The Match® is the designated operator of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program's national bone marrow registry that includes more than 20 million potential bone marrow donors and over 254,000 units of umbilical cord blood, including more than 100,000 NCBI units. Through renewed federal funding, the TRANSPLANT Act provides support for the continued life-saving connections of marrow or umbilical cord blood donors and patients with blood cancers and other blood disorders.

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