http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070507/20070507005908.html?.v=1NDRI, the nation's leading organization providing human biomaterials to research scientists announced the launch of a new national public relations campaign to let Americans know that they can donate tissue when planning surgery or at the birth of a child.
These tissues, which would otherwise be discarded, are urgently needed by researchers developing therapies and cures.
The non-profit NDRI (National Disease Research Interchange) was established in 1980 to provide scientists with the human tissue necessary to study human systems and human disease. In the past 20 years, NDRI has served some 5,000 scientists with more than 200,000 human biomaterials, leading to more than 2,500 papers published in scholarly journals on diseases from diabetes to cancer to HIV and rare diseases.
Most people think you can donate tissue or organs to science only after death, but the truth is that each of us has the power to impact science during our lifetime. Human tissue - whether healthy or diseased -- is precious to researchers developing cures for nearly every disease imaginable.
Americans can donate tissue by calling 1-877-221-NDRI when scheduling surgery or before the birth of a baby. NDRI manages the process, and there is no cost to the donor. Valuable tissue is donated from surgical procedures, such as plastic surgery, tumor surgery, hip or knee replacement, and transplant surgery. And at the birth of a child, the umbilical cord, placenta, and amniotic fluid are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells for research into heart disease, cancer, and more.
In addition, the non-profit NDRI provides researchers not only with tissue but with de-identified medical history about the donor which provides unparalleled insight for scientists.
