March 18, 2013

(JTA) — The Jewish community in the Czech Republic will search for bone marrow donors among its members to strengthen the national registry.

The move follows requests from the country’s National Register of Marrow Donors to expand the list of donors from varying ethnic backgrounds, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported.

The community will begin its campaign at a synagogue concert for young people. The date and location have not been made public for security reasons, according to Dnes.

During the concert, those interested in donating will have their blood samples taken and deposited with the national register.

The expanded search in the community likely will increase the chances of finding donors for Jewish patients in need of a transplants, Tomas Svoboda of the Czech Republic’s National Registry said.

Svoboda said the features sought after in suitable donors “are hereditary and their specific combinations are typical of particular geographical areas.  That is why we want the registry to be complemented by donors from ethnic minorities, including Jews, who have not much genetically changed for long centuries.”

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