The UK Government will invest £4m in a collaborative project between UK blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant.
The funding will enable both the entities to work together to increase cord blood collection and improve adult stem cell donor registers in the UK.
Of the total investment, £1.9m will be used to establish a 'fit panel' of 20,000 young adult donors to further reduce the time it takes to find a suitable match for transplant, and £2m will be used to increase collection services at five umbilical cord blood collections sites to a 24/7 service.
Public Health Minister Anne Milton said, "This extra £4m will help to save the lives of more people who need bone marrow transplants. I look forward to seeing this project make a real difference to patients."
Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant will also be opening a new collection facility towards the end of this year.
