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]
PRESS RELEASE
ABMDR opens Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan
Facility is a major advance toward life-saving bone marrow transplants
Los Angeles, June 11, 2009 – The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
(ABMDR) recently unveiled its Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan
with a grand opening celebration. The much-anticipated event was
attended by scores of ABMDR donors, sponsors, patients, physicians,
and special guests including VivaCell-MTS general manager Ralph
Yirikian, a major supporter of the registry; Archbishop Tatev
Sargsyan, who conveyed a special commendation from His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; ABMDR Advisory Board member
Nani Oskanian; a representative from Armenia’s Ministry of Health;
and a group of supporters from Los Angeles who had traveled to
Armenia to take part in the celebration.
`The opening of the Stem Cell Harvesting Center was an extremely
touching experience for every one of us,’ said Dr. Sevak Avagyan,
executive director of ABMDR Armenia. `While it was wonderful to be
surrounded by so many friends, supporters, and colleagues, ultimately
the most heartwarming sight was that of our patients and stem cell
donors finding common ground in the new facility, where hope awaits
those afflicted by life-threatening diseases.’ Accordingly, Dr.
Avagyan added, the honor of cutting the ribbon of the Stem Cell
Harvesting Center was given to Mrs. Varduhi, the ABMDR’s latest bone
marrow stem cell donor.
Commenting on the opening of the center, Dr. Frieda Jordan, president
of the ABMDR Board of Directors, said, `We’ve been working on this
project for the past year, sparing no effort or resource for its
realization.’ After acquiring the facility, the ABMDR recruited top
medical talent and began the arduous process of training personnel
and securing medical machinery.
As Dr. Jordan explains, the project was made possible by a number of
major corporate and individual donations, as well as grassroots
support through the registry’s first-ever telethon, held on April 13
last year. With a total of $850,000 raised, the ABMDR was able to
renovate the Stem Cell Harvesting Center site, equip it with state-of-
the-art machinery, and continue to train personnel.
In 2006, the ABMDR’s HLA tissue-typing laboratory passed the
inspection of the European Federation of Immunogenetics (EFI). In May
this year, the laboratory passed the EFI’s second inspection `with
flying colors,’ paving the way for the future accreditation of the
Stem Cell Harvesting Center itself.
The only one of its kind in the region, the ABMDR’s Stem Cell
Harvesting Center can store and harvest stem cells provided by
healthy bone marrow donors. The stem cells subsequently can be
utilized in transplants for patients suffering from life-threatening
blood-related diseases such as leukemia and other cancers. `It was
absolutely critical to have a stem cell harvesting center in Armenia,
since the majority of the ABMDR’s bone marrow stem cell donors are
residents of the republic,’ Dr. Jordan said. `Having this facility
in the country means that local stem cell donors will be spared the
often exorbitant expense and inconvenience of traveling abroad to
donate their stem cells. The center is equipped with cutting-edge
medical machinery that allows our staff to perform not only HLA
tissue typing, stem cell harvesting, and cell storage, but autologous
transplants as well. These latter procedures can be life-savers for
cancer patients, as they restore the integrity and function of bone
marrows damaged by chemotherapy.’
Dr. Jordan added that the Stem Cell Harvesting Center has also fast
become an important hub for medical learning, and that it will
continue to grow as a provider of workshops for medical students.
`Today, as our next major goal is to establish a dedicated stem cell
transplantation center in Armenia, a top priority is to push for the
highest possible standards in the quality and effectiveness of our
operations,’ Dr. Jordan continued. `Now that the dream of having a
stem cell harvesting center has become reality, we’re working hard
toward the next logical step, a full-fledged transplantation center,
which would give thousands of Armenian patients access to affordable,
life-saving stem cell transplants.’
According to Dr. Jordan, the transplantation-center project will be
showcased during `Match for Life 2009,’ the ABMDR’s annual gala, on
July 12. The event, which will be held at the Glendale Hilton in
Glendale, California, will honor Ralph Yirikian as Man of the Year,
recognize the outstanding services of several ABMDR volunteers, and
celebrate the ongoing support of the registry’s many benefactors and
volunteer assistants. For reserving tickets to the `Match for Life
2009′ gala, call the ABMDR office at (323) 663-3609, Nectar Kalajian
at (626) 705-2565, or Ani Azar at (818) 606-6000.
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 14,144 donors across three
continents, identified 1,305 patients, found 1,033 potential matches,
and facilitated nine bone marrow transplants.
For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.
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