Bipartisan Senate Bill Introduced to Reauthorize Stem Cell Transplant Program

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation to reauthorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, which supports the national system connecting patients with life-threatening blood cancers and other disorders to stem cell donors and cord blood units.

The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2026 (S. 4109) – introduced by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) – would reauthorize the program for five years. A companion bill (H.R. 5160) was introduced in the House in September.

According to NMDP, approximately 18,500 patients each year are diagnosed with conditions for which a blood stem cell transplant may be the best or only curative option, and most rely on unrelated donors. Since its establishment, the program has facilitated nearly 150,000 transplants.

AABB and a coalition of patient and health care organizations support NMDP and the passage of the legislation.