Get Swabbed comes to Ottawa
Posted Nov 16, 2010 05:32:24 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
“Get Swabbed” comes to Ottawa. The project, which started at McMaster University last year added over 700 new donors to a registry run by Canada Blood Services.
The registry keeps a DNA profile of blood stem cell and bone marrow donors to match them with patients in need.
At “Get Swabbed” events, potential donors get a mouth swab taken for their DNA profile and register as donors.
Ilan Orzy, the organizer of the event hosted at Carleton Monday said he hoped for similar success this year.
He said that last year only 0.5 per cent of the donors were called because the registry is predominantly caucasian.
This year, with events taking place at universities across Canada, Orzy hopes the registry will become more diverse, which will help it to better save lives.
Ottawa U will be hosting “Get Swabbed” Wednesday from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first floor of the University Centre.
