Do a cheek swab – give hope. Based on this motto, the AIAS student club (Students Against Blood Cancer Hannover) is inviting people to attempt to set a world record at Leibniz University Hannover and other universities on Thursday, 23 October 2025. The goal is to register more than 3,000 new potential stem cell donors for the DKMS in one day. The idea is not just to set a world record but also, and most importantly, to give hope to individuals with blood cancer around the world.
The prerequisites for a life-saving stem cell donation for someone with blood cancer are registration with the DKMS and matching markers in the blood. The search for a “genetic twin” often resembles the search for a needle in the haystack. This is why it is crucial that as many people as possible are entered in the DKMS databank.
On the day of action, students, staff and anyone else between the ages of 17 and 55 can register. The registration process, which includes a cheek swab, takes only 10 minutes. Despite the widely held belief to the contrary, a stem cell donation does not require extraction from the spinal cord. In 90 per cent of cases, the stem cells can be filtered from the blood. In 10 per cent of cases, they are extracted from the iliac crest, located in the pelvis, under general anesthesia.
Location and times:
Atrium (Lichthof) of the main LUH building (Welfenschloss), Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover, 9.30 am–4 pm
hanoMacke, Königsworther Platz 1, 30167 Hannover, 10 am–8 pm
Hauptmensa, Callinstraße 23, 30167 Hannover, 11 am–2.30 pm
LUH SportCampus, Am Moritzwinkel 6, 30167 Hannover, 4 pm–8 pm
TiHo (Alter Pylorus), Bischofsholer Damm 25, 30173 Hannover, 11 am–2.30 pm
Café Tümpelblick, Blumhardtstraße 2, 30625 Hannover, 11 am–2.30 pm
MHH (library and living room), Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, 11 am–3 pm
The day of action is jointly organised by the DKMS and the students’ unions at Leibniz University Hannover, the Hannover Medical School and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Additional information about the day of action and stem cell donations: https://linktr.ee/aiashannover
