By: Alon Coret
You may have recently heard about the urgent call for blood donations made by Canadian Blood Services (CBS). Well, just so you know, it’s not only blood donations per se that are required by CBS – they are also hoping to add potential matches to their bone marrow and stem cell network. This sub-group within CBS is appropriately known as “One Match,” and it seeks to establish a worldwide database – in partnership with over fifty other national networks – in hopes of increasing the number of potential matches for life-saving stem cell donations and bone marrow transplants.
Just as with blood donations, it is often not a lack of willingness to donate that stops people from signing up; rather, it’s the burden involved in actually making the time for it. And I get it – we are all busy university students. So, to save you the time…the signup has already been arranged for you!
On Oct. 28 (10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.), an event known as “Get Swabbed” will take place in the MUSC Marketplace. Volunteers from both McMaster and CBS will help sign up interested students, and provide further information about eligibility requirements and the overall process of donations. All that’s needed from you is: (1) informed consent to participate (yes, you will be provided with all necessary information), and (2) a quick, five-minute swab to collect cheek tissue samples. Your information would then be recorded in the One Match database. If a patient is found to be compatible with you, One Match will call you up to see whether you would be interested in making a donation (at which point, by the way, you are NOT obligated to proceed should you wish to withdraw consent).
Who is needed? Anyone and everyone could be a match, but 17-35-year-old males are especially needed. Moreover, if you belong to an ethnic minority, there is a good chance One Match is underrepresented by your demographic (and possibly unique genetic markers). Therefore, you are extra encouraged to register in the database.
Why the need for such a large database? Stem cell transplants require a high genetic profile match between donor and recipient, specifically the compatibility of 12 genetic markers known as human leukocyte antigens, or HLA. As a result, one would expect high suitability among family members. Nonetheless, fewer than 30 percent of patients who need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor within their own family, and thus rely on donations from others.
Who needs stem cell transplants? A variety of diseases and disorders are treated with stem cell transplants, including blood-related diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, and inherited immune system and metabolic disorders (e.g. Tay Sachs disease). These conditions are often fatal, and so early detection, successful treatments, and a compatible stem cell or bone marrow transplant are crucial to save the patient’s life.
What’s the actual “donation” procedure like? Stem cell transplant procedures tend to have the reputation of being painful, dangerous, or overly complicated. This is not quite so. Today there are two common methods in use, both involving very minimal risk to the donor.
The first is called “Stimulated peripheral blood stem cell donation,” a non-surgical procedure involving the collection of stem cells over a period of four to five days. Yes, it involves needles (but only a couple). And yes, there are some short-term side effects, including nausea, muscle pain, and redness at the site of injection.
Another method in use is a bone marrow stem cell donation, which is a surgical procedure performed under anesthetics. Special, hollow needles are used to withdraw liquid marrow (~ 1 liter) from the back of the donor’s pelvic bones. This procedure typically lasts about an hour. Although it sounds like a lot to give, both the blood and stem cells from the marrow are naturally replenished within six weeks.
The key take-home messages regarding these procedures are: (1) they are very safe for the donor; and (2) by virtue of being a match, you are by no means obligated to donate and can withdraw from One Match at any time. By registering, however, you put yourself in a sort of lottery where you have the chance to give somebody the best prize of all: their health, their smile, and their life.
I hope to see you there as part of this important initiative!
For more information please visit:
Katija Bonin
The Silhouette
“Art refracts science, not reflects it,” according to McMaster Health Science professsor emeritus Patangi Ranganchari.
Ranganchari spoke at the opening of the new exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art. The show, entitled ‘Perceptions of Promise: Biotechnology, Society and Art’ is a collaborative artistic project exploring the complex social, legal and ethical issues associated with breakthrough developments in life sciences technology, with a particular focus on stem cell research.
Curator Lianne McTavish said that the exhibit “makes a lot of sense at Mac.” McMaster has been considered a “world leader in stem cell research,” and with last week’s generous donation of $24 million from the Boris family to go toward this budding research field, the exhibit content undoubtedly intersects with the work going on at the University.
The science-inspired art exhibit opened on Feb. 9 and will be on display until March 31.
The launch of the exhibit was accompanied by a panel discussion with professors Roger Jacobs and Rangachari, as well as artists Derek Besant and Daniela Schlüter. Sean Caufield, an artist and professor of Art at the University of Alberta, moderated the panel discussion.
Caufield started the panel discussion with an emphasis on the impact of art and social media on the illustration of scientific ideas to the general public. He noted that the title of the show was influenced by the fact that “there is much promise in stem cell research, but also pressure from the public to complete it quickly.” Jacobs expanded on this point;“Science has gone from manipulating our environment to manipulating the temple of the body.”
Stem cell research is rapidly advancing, from just fourteen years ago when stem cell lines were first isolated, to last month where a phase one trial was constructed by growth factor. Jacobs cautioned that “some of the doors [stem cell research] opens are frightening if we go through them too quickly without thinking,” making it imperative that researchers carefully evaluate the applications and consequences of their research.
On the panel, Besant commented on the similarity between scientists and artists, saying that “the failure of scientists is comparable to the failure of artist,” and “if you don’t fail, you don’t learn anything.”
Schlüter employed a metaphorical decription of her art, explaining it as looking through a microscope. “The further away from the image, the more abstract, but the closer you go, the more clear,” she said.
She also talked about her experience with attaining an image of her chromosomes. She had asked the scientist she was collaborating with what her chromosomes looked like, and she said the action of having to draw it out helped him to more deeply understand his research. Now, her chromosomes can be spotted in her mixed-medium art on display.
Originally a pharmacologist, Rangachari argued that there is a certain permanency to a work of art, contrasting with science where, “sooner or later someone will find you wrong.” The constant progression of scientific discovery allows for, “the brilliance of science for one generation to become the lame science experiments of the next,” he said.
Art gives scientists and society alike a different viewpoint into complex issues. Caufield reaffirmed that “art is a building box of visual language that can sometimes tackle big questions.”
There is a sense of anxiety and hope among scientists, which in turn is conveyed through art and finally received by the public. Stem cells are tangible evidence of the mystery that lies within us, and no one knows where this mystery will lead us.
