Cornell, alum launch life-saving stem-cell registry drive

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Photo: Saga Communications/Provided

ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Cornell is calling on the community for help.

Beginning March 13, the university is hosting a week-long stem cell drive that could save lives.

Anyone aged 18-35 can have their cheeks swabbed at multiple locations across campus starting on Friday. The goal is to add 10,000 entries to the national stem cell registry by March 20, which will help the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit that facilitates stem cell and bone marrow transplants.

If a match is made, all donor expenses are covered by NMDP. The group has directly assisted over 140,000 transplants since 1987, including nearly 8,000 in 2024.

According to the Cornell Chronicle, the idea for the drive came after a TikTok video posted by an alum on February 10. Class of ’96 grad Juan Uribe published an urgent call seeking a donor for his 15-year-old son Max, who faces bone marrow failure and with it, a high risk of blood cancer. The video reached over 21 million people.

A list of donation locations and times is available here. Learn more about the Uribe family here.

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