STEM CELL HARVESTING CENTER OPENS IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 11:38 GMT+04:00

VivaCell-MTS and the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Charitable
Trust (ABMDR) announce the opening of the Stem Cell Harvesting Center
which will target its activities at saving of the endangered lives
of those Armenians and non-Armenians alike who suffer from leukemia
and other ominous blood-related disease, reported the press office
of VivaCell-MTS.

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry is a non-profit charitable
organization which has for the last ten years pursued its noble
goals in and outside the Republic of Armenia. ABMDR’s mission is to
help the Armenians scattered around the world overcome fatal blood
diseases through bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. Hence the
ABMDR aims at identifying matching bone marrow/stem cell donors
for the patients suffering from leukemia, ensuring high transplant
efficiency, recruiting donors throughout Armenia and the Armenian
Diaspora, and at creating an all-Armenian database.

Up to the present date, more than 14.000 donors have volunteered of
register with the ABMDR, 821 matches have been identified, and 9 bone
marrow/stem cell transplantations have been performed. The setting up
of a state-of-the-art Stem Cell Harvesting Center has been a priority
among ABMDR’s recent activities.

"VivaCell-MTS, being a long time corporate partner and supporter of
ABMDR, once again came up with a considerable social investment which
will serve the noble mission of saving endangered lives", said General
Manager of VivaCell-MTS Ralph Yirikian.

"The realization of this project, marking a significant step forward
in Armenia’s health care, was made possible thanks to the invaluable
and much appreciated support by the organization’s long time friend and
ally – VivaCell-MTS – a key player in the country’s telecommunications
area and a leading mobile networks operator. VivaCell-MTS contributed
106 million drams which will be fully targeted at saving of lives at
stake", said Dr. Sevak Avagyan, Executive Director of ABMDR.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress