NMDP, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match,[1] is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that operates a registry of volunteer hematopoietic cell donors and umbilical cord blood units in the United States.

In both cases, recovery is usually swift and donors typically have fully restored marrow and blood cell counts in under two weeks.

[5] Because the odds that two random individuals are HLA matched exceeds one in 20,000, a registry's success depends on a large number of volunteer donors.

The NMDP coordinates hematopoietic cell transplants by managing a worldwide network of affiliated organizations.

The NMDP also has nearly 238,000 cord blood units, listed by HLA type, in its Be The Match registry.

Physicians look for donor material on behalf of a patient by submitting the patient's HLA tissue type to the NMDP, which then searches its computerized database for matching donor (marrow or PBSC) or cord blood units.

If the potential donor wishes to proceed, they receive a medical exam, which includes testing the blood for infectious diseases.

If the potential donor meets all requirements, the NMDP collects their bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells and sends them by courier to the patient.

Cord blood units are shipped frozen, in specially designed coolers, and are thawed after arrival at the patient's hospital.

The NMDP receives annually about US$23 million from the US government through the Health Resources and Services Administration.