Unlocking new ways to treat every patient – a look at Anthony Nolan’s new strategy

In this blog Henny Braund MBE, Chief Executive at Anthony Nolan outlines the organisation's new five-year strategy to use their experience and expertise to unlock new treatments that could save and transform the lives of every patient who needs them. She also elucidates on how they're  increasing the scope and intensity of their research to play a more significant role in addressing unanswered questions throughout the patient experience.

Leading the team at Anthony Nolan I’m prouder than anyone of all we’ve achieved over the past 50 years. Since 1974, when the charity established the world’s first bone marrow register, we have pioneered research in stem cell transplantation, transforming outcomes for people in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. To date, we have over 800,000 potential stem cell donors on our register ready to donate to someone with a life-threatening condition. But we need to do even more.

We know not everyone who needs a transplant can access one, and not everyone who has a transplant survives. And we know that simply surviving is not the same thing as thriving.

So, our new five-year strategy – Unlocking new ways to treat every patient – aims to use our experience and expertise to unlock the exciting new treatments we hope will save and transform the lives of every patient who needs us.

We're broadening our vision from our last strategy, building on our purpose and work. We are expanding and deepening our research so we are playing an even bigger role in answering the unanswered questions across the patient journey. We want to gain a more holistic understanding of every patient’s uniqueness through data and use this to develop more precise treatments and personalised care. And as well as offering donors the opportunity to donate their cells for transplant and save a life, we'll be offering more donors the chance to donate their cells for use in the research and development of new treatments and save many lives in the future.

Over the coming months, Anthony Nolan will be shifting to unite science and people more closely, unlocking the cures, treatments and improvements in transplant. The charity will strengthen the infrastructure for research, including clinical trials, investing in talent and bringing together partners, patients, donors, and healthcare professionals across the global transplant community to promote collaboration, drive progress and innovation through research.

We will also be focusing on our evidence-based influencing, data insights and stem cell donors - whose incredible generosity is saving and improving lives today and in the future.

The ambitious aims of our new strategy cannot be achieved alone. Now more than ever we’ll be working in partnership to ensure we’re supporting transplant centres, the broader NHS, and healthcare professionals in the best way we can to improve outcomes for patients. 

We’re seizing this opportunity to do more. Scientific research into new cell therapies promises to inform – and transform – the ways in which we treat blood cancer and blood disorders. It’s an exciting time and we’re forging ahead, bringing hope to more and more patients.

If you’d like to read more about Anthony Nolan’s new strategy and what the next five years holds for us, take a look at our website.