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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
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