Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ABMDR achieves extraordinary milestones

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ABMDR achieves extraordinary milestones

    Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
    3111 Los Feliz Avenue, #206, Los Angeles, CA 90039
    Contact person: Dr. Frieda Jordan
    Phone: (323) 663-3609
    Email:[email protected]


    ABMDR achieves extraordinary milestones
    by participating in European scientific symposium


    Thanks to ABMDR efforts, Armenia is chosen as first country in
    Caucasus to host meeting of European Federation for Immunogenetics
    later this year

    Los Angeles, February 11, 2011 - The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor
    Registry (ABMDR) reached two significant milestones recently. On
    January 22, the organization participated in a meeting of the
    European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI). The second success came
    when, at the conclusion of the event, Armenia was chosen as the first
    country in the Caucasus to host an EFI meeting, in November of this
    year.

    The EFI provides technical support to immunogenetics laboratories
    across the world, sets operational standards and methodologies, and
    awards accreditation. A full member of the EFI, the ABMDR is
    accredited by the federation for its HLA tissue typing laboratory in
    Yerevan.

    At the January 22 meeting, held in Athens, Greece, the ABMDR was
    represented by Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the registry's Board
    of Directors, and Dr. Sevak Avagyan, executive director of the
    registry. The event was devoted to Histocompatibility and
    Immunogenetics Laboratories in the EFI's Region 8, which includes the
    Balkans. The meeting was attended by over 200 participants from 14
    countries, comprising Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus,
    Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia,
    Switzerland, and Turkey.

    DR. Jordan addressed the meeting with a presentation titled
    `Organizing a Bone Marrow Donor Registry in a Small Country.' Her
    lecture, which detailed the work and goals of the ABMDR, received
    high praise from attendees. Organizers and participants alike
    congratulated the ABMDR for its many achievements since its launch in
    1999, specifically commending the registry's global networking,
    grassroots recruitment drives, and groundbreaking accomplishments
    through its Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan.

    The Stem Cell Harvesting Center reached a watershed in June 2010,
    when, for the first time in the history of Armenia, it performed a
    stem cell harvesting procedure. Thanks to the procedure, a bone
    marrow transplant was later performed in Belgium, saving the life of
    a patient who suffered from a potentially terminal blood-related
    disease.

    At the conclusion of the EFI meeting in Athens, organizers discussed
    venue and date options for the next Histocompatibility and
    Immunogenetics Laboratories meeting. Several countries, including
    Armenia, had presented their candidacy for hosting the meeting. After
    careful consideration, Armenia emerged as the clear favorite. As it
    announced its decision, the EFI committee cited the scope and quality
    of the ABMDR's work as the main factor in its selection of Armenia.

    Furthermore, the committee entrusted the ABMDR to organize the
    meeting, under the auspices of the EFI. The meeting is slated to be
    held in Yerevan in November 2011.

    `In addition to the ABMDR's participation at the EFI meeting in
    Athens, the selection of Armenia as the host of the next
    Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories meeting is a major
    achievement for our registry,' Dr. Jordan said. `For the first time
    in history, Armenia will be hosting such a high-profile,
    international scientific symposium. The meeting will also be the
    first of its kind in the region. I think it's likewise important to
    note that Armenia is the only country in the region to have a
    laboratory, namely the one at the ABMDR Stem Cell Harvesting Center,
    which is accredited by the EFI.'

    Dr. Jordan added that the Yerevan meeting will be a great boon to
    global cooperation in the immunogenetics field. For many years, she
    explained, the ABMDR has been building collaborative relationships
    between the scientific communities of Armenia and its neighbors. Such
    broad cooperation will further encourage scientists from Russia,
    Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran to participate in the EFI meeting in
    Yerevan, effectively enabling Armenia to function as a science bridge
    between these countries and Europe, she said.

    About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999,
    the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide
    survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and
    matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants.

    To date, the registry has recruited over 20,000 donors in 13
    countries across three continents, identified 1,696 patients, found
    1,419 potential matches, and facilitated 12 bone marrow transplants.


    For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

    # # #




    From: A. Papazian
Working...
X