Participants of 'Nevsky Desant' Join Donor Registry

At the opening of the annual youth action «Nevsky Desant» in St. Petersburg, participants not only began volunteer work but also took part in a significant social initiative. With the assistance of the Center for Bone Marrow Donor Development Foundation (TsRDKM), about 140 people expressed their desire to join the Federal Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

More than 750 students gathered at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University before departing for the districts of the Leningrad Region. As part of «Nevsky Desant,» they will provide household and social support to veterans, elderly people, and social institutions.

TsRDKM Fund Director Lyubov Belozerova, addressing the gathering, clearly explained the essence of bone marrow donation. She gave a real-life example: a person who had long helped develop the student movement now requires a bone marrow transplant, but a suitable donor has not yet been found in the registry. This story vividly showed why it is so important to attract new participants.

After the ceremonial lineup, 137 participants of the action voluntarily provided oral swabs. These samples will allow specialists to determine the HLA phenotype – genetic characteristics necessary for finding a compatible donor for a patient.

«We see in the participants of »Nevsky Desant« people who are accustomed to helping others. Their decision to join the bone marrow donor registry is a conscious and very important step. Every new registry participant is a chance at life for patients who require transplantation,» noted TsRDKM Fund Director Lyubov Belozerova.

The collected swabs will be sent to the laboratory of the Russian Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology (RosNIIGT) of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia. After typing – the study of the HLA phenotype – the volunteers« data will be entered into the information system of the Federal Registry. In the future, any of them could be a genetically compatible donor and save the life of a person with an oncohematological or severe hereditary disease.

The Center for Bone Marrow Donor Development Foundation is a project of the St. Petersburg charitable fund «svet.deti». Its mission is the development of bone marrow donation in Russia. The fund«s employees are engaged in education, debunking myths about donation, and organizing campaigns to replenish the national registry.