ARMENIAN BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY CELEBRATES 8 YEARS OF ITS ACTIVITY
Noyan Tapan
Au g 15, 2008
LOS ANGELES, AUGUST 15, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. In August
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry celebrated 8 years of successand
and during Match For Life gala shared with 300 presents the process
of the future developments of creating a Stem Cells Harvesting Center
in Armenia.
At the gala event, presided by Master of Ceremony Mark Geragos, Chair
of the ABMDR board of directors, several key supporters were recognized
for their contributions: Naz Atikian, as Woman of the Year, George
Najarian, Man of the Year, Karineh Khudikian and Armond Aghakhanian,
Volunteers of the Year, and Horizon TV, business of the year.
Over ,000 was raised at the event, the proceeds to go toward ongoing
DNA tissue typing in order to find Matches for Life for needy patients
as quickly as possible.
Following a Champaign reception which included a chance to win a
half-karat diamond donated by Design by Naz, the program and honoree
awards commenced over dinner.
The night’s program included a video showing a young Armenian girl,
Meline, celebrating her 18th birthday thanks to a stem cell transplant
facilitated by the ABMDR and relaying the exciting news that the
organization’s new Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Armenia is nearing
completion. When officially open this coming fall, it will provide
a safe and cost effective means of harvesting stem cells to be used
in bone marrow stem cell transplantations.
The Center will bring state-of-the-art medical and research technology
to Armenia, transforming Yerevan into a regional center for stem cell
harvesting and blood component separation, bringing not only revenues
from other countries in the region, but positioning the Center as a
vital and active player among international transplantation centers
worldwide.
In order to treat Armenians suffering from uncurable blood-related
diseases (leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia), bone marrow transplants
require compatible tissue types that match the genetic makeup
of the patient, which is most likely to come from other Armenian
donors. Currently the ABMDR has identified 1,276 patients in need,
and from its registry of 14,000 donors has found over 900 potential
matches and facilitated 8 transplantations around the globe.