We went to the epicenter of hero culture, New York Comic Con, to find heroes who were willing to join the National Bone Marrow Registry and help rescue strangers with blood cancer.

We created The Hero Gene Laboratory, and challenged comic book fans to find out if they possessed a mutant gene that gave them the power to save a life—the Hero Gene.

At our booth—designed in a style inspired by classic comic books—we invited fans to complete a cheek-swab DNA test. This simple test registered them with the national database and allowed them to be more like the heroes they came to celebrate at Comic Con.

From October 8-11, Hero Gene Laboratory was established on the convention floor of New York Comic Con. To compete for attention with the most recognizable brands and character properties in the world, our booth experience was inspired by classic comic books.

We enclosed the space with walls wrapped in retro-futuristic design. Our trained volunteers were in character as Mad Scientists on the hunt for heroes, educating and assisting in the registration process.

The booth featured a selfie-station with props, social media handles (@YourHeroGene), and tags (#SwabbieSelfie). Attendees could show off their heroic deeds as they did their DNA cheek swabs, and drive booth traffic in real time.

DNA swabs and registration kits were then shipped to a testing facility, analyzed, and cataloged in the National Bone Marrow Database. Hundreds of new heroes are waiting to learn if they are a match with the chance to save someone’s life.

• Nearly 500 committed donors registered to the National Bone Marrow Registry in just 4 days

o Five-times as effective as previous donor drives for Be the Match, which average 25 registrations a day

• 50% increase in registered donors from Day 1 to Day 2 of the event thanks to social media efforts driving traffic in real time (fans sharing their experiences at our selfie-station and social media engagement with celebrity comic book artists and writers)

• Historically, 1 in 500 people registered on the National Bone Marrow Registry has been a match. With the outpouring of support from our Hero Gene donors, the statistics are in our favor that we will find a life-saving match for someone with blood cancer