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The Story of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA)

A global effort to connect patients with life‑saving stem cell donors

The story of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) begins in 1988, when the Immunobiology Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) launched an initiative to collect and share the tissue‑typing information (HLA types) of volunteer stem cell donors. This global collection of donor data became known as Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW) and was managed by the Europdonor Foundation (known today as Matchis Foundation) in the Netherlands.

As lifesaving stem cell transplants increasingly involved donors and patients living in different countries, three pioneers in the field recognised the need for international cooperation. John Goldman (UK), E. Donnall Thomas (USA), and Jon J. van Rood (Netherlands) founded the WMDA to help donor registries work together and to make cross‑border transplants safer, faster, and more reliable.

This early collaboration between WMDA and BMDW laid the groundwork for a global network that could help patients find suitable donors beyond their own families, at a time when such cooperation was still rare.

A major inspiration for this movement came from earlier initiatives such as the UK’s Anthony Nolan registry. Since 1974, it had shown that large, volunteer donor registries could be built and could dramatically improve outcomes for patients without a matched donor in their family. This proved the value of organised donor recruitment and tissue typing, encouraging countries around the world to follow suit.

Building global standards

In its early years, WMDA focused on developing shared guidelines and standards—ethical, medical, technical, and financial—to support safe and high‑quality exchange of stem cell products between countries. WMDA also introduced accreditation programmes and formed working groups to harmonise practice worldwide, helping to create a more reliable and trusted transplant eco-system.

Throughout the 2000s and beyond, scientific research continued to highlight how WMDA’s guidance and expertise were shaping donor safety, donor selection, and international transplant procedures.

A new era: merging with BMDW and NetCord
In 2017, WMDA, BMDW, and the NetCord Foundation merged. WMDA began operating the Search & Match Service, a single platform bringing together global donor and cord blood data. At the same time, WMDA became the new coordinating body for the international cord blood community.

Today, WMDA has grown into a truly global network of donor registries and cord blood banks from more than 57 countries, all working together to improve access to lifesaving treatments. The Search & Match Service has become the world’s largest haematopoietic cell donor database, listing over 40 million stem cell donors and more than 800,000 cord blood units. It is now an essential resource for transplant centres worldwide.
From its headquarters in Leiden, the Netherlands, WMDA continues its mission: connecting patients with suitable donors, supporting the development of donor registries, promoting the safety and well‑being of donors, and working with international partners—such as the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) and the EBMT—to support fair and effective access to stem cell transplantation across the globe.

Leadership Through the Years
The WMDA has been guided by a remarkable group of presidents, each of whom has strengthened the organisation in their own way:

• John Hansen was a pioneer who helped establish the foundations of WMDA and the global donor movement.
• Mary Horowitz led the professionalisation of WMDA, helping WMDA adapt as the field rapidly expanded.
• Jeremy Chapman strengthened WMDA’s relationships with regulatory authorities worldwide, improving safety for donors and patients.
• Torstein Egeland addressed the ethical challenges in the donation process and brought the voice of the medium-sized registries into the discussions.
• Effie Petersdorf championed scientific progress, bringing advances in HLA typing into everyday practice to improve patient–donor matching.
• Eliane Gluckman, known as the mother of cord blood, initiated collaboration between WMDA and NetCord, bringing the cord blood community together.
• William Hwang broadened WMDA’s global reach by ensuring engagement from across Asia and the general public by publishing a book.
• Michael Boo established the legal framework that enabled WMDA, BMDW, and NetCord to merge, shaping the organisation as it exists today.
• Carlheinz Müller strengthened the link between WMDA and European Marrow Donor Information System (EMDIS). This resulted in conversations on how to modernize and how to improve communication and data exchange between registries.
• Jeff Szer championed the professional service for the reporting and management of serious adverse events and reactions, raising global safety standards.
• Bronwen Shaw guided WMDA through the COVID‑19 pandemic, bringing together long‑standing and newer members during a challenging period.
• Matt Seftel strengthened WMDA’s governance and oversaw the development of Match Connect, taking it from an idea to a fully functioning tool that supports global donor searches.

View all former presidents 

Looking for our Pricelist, W8-form, or bank details? You can find these under ‘Administrative details’ in the last section of the pull down menus (scroll down)

 

As a nonprofit organisation, WMDA relies upon the generous donations of individuals to maintain its programs and services, and fulfill its mission of improving the lives of all people affected by disesases that require cellular therapy.

How is WMDA funded?

WMDA’s primary sources of funding are membership fees. Specific sources of revenue include:

• individual and organisational membership fees
• administrative fees for transplant centres to access Search & Match Service
• corporate partnership fees
• conferences and events
• philanthropic contributions from individuals, organisations, and companies

To explore the latest Finance and Activity Report and gain a deeper understanding of our accomplishments, please check our Resources page.

Find WMDA’s ANBI (Public Benefit Organisation) status here.

Find our current vacancies here.

World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) 
Schipholweg 55, unit 14-15
2316 ZL Leiden,
The Netherlands

Bank: ABN-AMRO, Sector Healthcare, Postbus 283, 1000 EA Amsterdam, the Netherlands

IBAN: NL61ABNA0421708514
SWIFT/BIC: ABNANL2A

W8-form

Pricelist 2026

WMDA General Terms and Conditions (V10.12.2025)

Chamber of Commerce: 40448326

RSIN/TIN: 803974917

VAT number: NL803 974 917 B02

Memorandum of Association: 04-10-1994

Impartiality is a core value of the WMDA and its Certification Body. All personnel involved in WMDA key projects and in WMDA’s certification process are committed to maintaining impartiality. On an ongoing basis, the Management Board identifies and evaluates threats to impartiality and implements safeguard measures to mitigate any identified risk. This mechanism is overseen by the WMDA Impartiality officers. The Impartiality Committee has been set up aiming that the WMDA services, such as WMDA Certification process are fair, unbiased, and free from conflicts of interest, enhancing the credibility and trustworthiness of our program.