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ABMDR Participates In European Scientific Symposium

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  • ABMDR Participates In European Scientific Symposium

    ABMDR PARTICIPATES IN EUROPEAN SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM

    ASBAREZ
    Monday, February 14th, 2011

    >>From right: Dr. Sevak Avagyan and Dr. Frieda Jordan

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

    LOS ANGELES~WThe Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry reached two
    significant milestones recently. On January 22, the organization
    participated in a meeting of the European Federation for
    Immunogenetics. 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~Rs Board of
    Directors, and Dr. Sevak Avagyan, executive director of the registry.

    The event was devoted to Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
    Laboratories in the EFI~Rs 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
    ~SOrganizing a Bone Marrow Donor Registry in a Small Country.~T 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~Rs 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~Rs 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.

    ~SIn addition to the ABMDR~Rs 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,~T Dr. Jordan said. ~SFor 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~Rs 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.~T

    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.




    From: A. Papazian
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