08/30/2026
We’ve been quiet on social media, but Blue’s Gift has been very busy behind the scenes.
Blue’s donated brain tissue has reached the research team in Italy — and the research has begun.
The scientists are working toward something that has never been available in this field before: a detailed molecular map of bilirubin-induced brain damage, looking not only at where injury occurs in the brain, but at the molecular changes happening within those regions.
The project includes advanced techniques such as spatial transcriptomics, RNA analysis, histology and immunofluorescence, alongside laboratory models studying how bilirubin injury develops over time.
Blue made the decision to donate his brain for kernicterus research. Seeing that gift finally reach scientists and become actual research is difficult to put into words.
But this is exactly why Blue’s Gift exists.
His gift is working. And we’re just getting started. 💙
