On Wednesday, 12^th December, a rare but welcomed event may have been witnessed by people passing by our Institute, as well as by employees and students of the Institute, as an ambulance dedicated for blood donation was parked on the premises of the Nencki Institute. The PhD Students' Council, in cooperation with the Director of the Institute and RCKiK in Warsaw, decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Institute in this fascinating and charitable way.

The meaning of the event is symbolic. It reminds us that the work of scientists is not only to gain knowledge, but also to serve the goodness of society. Medical knowledge obtained by generations of our colleagues enables us to save the lives of many patients. Unfortunately, there are cases where all that knowledge is useless if there is no blood (or its components) available. If the blood donated today saves just one life, it will be another success of science.

Despite the autumn weather, and the beginning of ‘flu season’, we managed to collect more than six liters (12 units) of whole blood. It is a very positive result, especially that many donors were unable to donate due to sickness. Nevertheless, we are sure the result could be greatly improved in the future. We hope it will be accomplished next spring!