The Bioinformatics Group at Be the Match (the National Marrow Donor Program) are conducting a series of studies that combine new data collection methods with genetic ancestry to improve donor patient matches. Director Martin Maiers and Scientist Abeer Madbouly at the Bioinformatics Group commissioned Lynn Fellman to produce a video about this research.
The video explains that people alive today have unique markers in their genes that reflect ancient migrations and contemporary mixing. In a land of many Multis, like the United States, people with mixed genetic ancestry who need a stem cell transplant have difficulty finding a matching donor.
Dr. Madbouly and her colleagues hope to find that more exact genetic data and measurable ethnic information may result in matching more donors with patients for more successful transplant outcomes.
Fellman wrote the script, illustrated, narrated, and animated the work
