MADISON- UW Health and the Blood Center of Wisconsin will co-host a bone- marrow donor registry drive Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 11 am to 4 pm in the Cancer Clinic Atrium of UW Hospital, located at 600 Highland Ave. in Madison.

Registering in the National Marrow Donor Program is quick and painless. Donors fill out a form and have their cheek swabbed. The donor program is open to healthy adults from 18 to 44 years old. Some health conditions may prevent donation, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes requiring insulin, sleep apnea and others.

There is no fee to register and parking in the hospital parking ramp will be validated and free for all participants.

More than 70 percent of patients who need a bone-marrow transplant have no genetic matches in their families.