Company Profile
Be The Match
Company Overview
Be The Match is the trusted leader in the field of cellular therapy. We never lose sight of our purpose—delivering cures for blood cancers. From the moment a patient is diagnosed, we are there every step of the way; helping their doctor find a donor, delivering life-saving cells to the patient’s bedside, and supporting patients through recovery and survivorship.
With over 30 years of experience, we are the trusted leader in advancing the science of transplant, conducting ground-breaking research and providing vital services for patient families when they need them most.
As the world’s largest registry and hub of a global network, our partners count on us to develop innovative solutions to improve transplant and fuel collaborative relationships essential to saving lives.
Company History
When their 10-year-old daughter Laura was diagnosed with leukemia, Robert Graves, D.V.M., and his wife Sherry were ready to do anything they could to save her. Desperate to save her life they turned to alternative treatment options and agreed to try the first ever bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor.
Laura received her transplant in 1979. And it worked. The success of the treatment inspired the Graves to give other families the same hope for a cure. Thanks to Dr. Graves, other patient families, doctors, congressional support and funding from the U.S. Navy, a national registry of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow was born.
Many people wondered who would step forward to donate marrow. Within the first year the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry (as we were called then) was established, an astonishing 10,000 people answered the call. We conducted our first transplant as the National Marrow Donor Program® in 1987 when Diane Walters of Wisconsin donated marrow to 6-year-old Brooke Ward of North Carolina. It wasn’t long before the program took off worldwide from a tiny office at the American Red Cross in St. Paul, MN.
Notable Products / Brands
BeTheMatchBioTherapies.org, CIBMTR.org, BeTheMatchClinical.org
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Beyond establishing the Be The Match Registry, we have also invested in medical research to find answers that save the lives of more patients.
1990 - Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Dr. E. Donnall Thomas for discoveries in cellular transplantation
1997 - First use of peripheral blood stem cells in NMDP transplants
1998 - Launched umbilical cord blood transplant program
2001 - Built the NMDP Sample Repository, one of the world’s largest tissue sample storage facilities used for medical research
2004 - Partnered with the Medical College of Wisconsin to create the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research® (CIBMTR), our research program
2012 - Completed more than 700 peer-reviewed publications based on research conducted
2013 - Facilitated more than 2,800 transplants for patients over age 50 (45% of total transplants)
2016 - Launched Be The Match BioTherapies® to extend our services and expertise to organizations developing and delivering cellular therapies to help more patients
To date we have facilitated more than 92,000 blood stem cell transplants, and nearly 6,200 transplants a year to give patients hope for a future.
Benefits
Be The Match's modern amenities at our downtown Minneapolis Coordinating Center include an on-site restaurant, fitness center and studio, locker rooms, meditation room, and mother’s room. We offer flexible work-style options depending on the role, including internally and externally mobile, and a relaxed “dress for your day” work culture. Our comprehensive benefits package also includes educational assistance and commuter-related benefits. Be The Match has been named Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota for the fifth year in a row.