Bone Marrow Donor Institute (BMDI)

Every year hundreds of Australians are diagnosed with leukaemia or some other form of bone marrow cancer. The Bone Marrow Donor Institute was established in 1989 to set up a register for patients requiring an unrelated bone marrow transplant. That register is now the 6th largest in the world with over 160,000 Australians tissue typed and linked electronically with world-wide registers.

Bone marrow transplantation is now a recognised treatment for other conditions such as aplastic anaemia, lymphoma, breast cancer and testicular cancer. The Bone Marrow Donor Institute is dedicated to the care, treatment and support of cancer patients and their families and funds research into better treatment methods, prevention and early detection tests for leukaemia and other forms of cancer.

In 1996 the BMDI set up the BMDI Cord Blood Bank in an effort to collect and freeze umbilical cords. These cords are rich in pure stem cells and offer a greater chance of matching with less risk of infection and rejection, but it is expensive. Each cord unit costs more than $1000 to collect and store.

In 2008 the Fight Cancer Foundation was formed.

The information provided in this article is intended as a guide only. Always consult your doctor if you or your child is suffering any medical complaint. Any websites referred to by Australian Family contain information moderated by government and medical institutions or organisations.

This article was first published in Australian Family Magazine, September 2001. Updated July 2009.