Yerevan is hosting the 8th regional meeting of European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) that has brought together leading specialists in the sp¬here of immunogenetics and histocompatibility from around the world. The meeting is organized at the initiative of the Armenia Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). As the president of the Registry Frieda Jordan told Panorama.am the program will showcase the very latest advances and developments in the field and provide an excellent pathway for educational and professional growth through its workshop component.
Reflecting on the activity of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR), Frieda Jordan informed that over the past 20 years of its operation, the organization has recruited around 31,000 donors, 2,300 from Armenia and Artsakh, and 7,000 – from Diaspora. Thus far, 4469 matched unrelated donors have been identified for 4885 registered patients suffering from leukemia and other life-threatening blood related illnesses. As a result, 33 lives were saved through bone marrow transplant.
The President of ABMDR added that anyone aged from18 to 50 may apply to get registered in the Registry that will allow to expand the data bank of information of the Armenian donors and increase the chances of the registered patients to find matched unrelated donors.
To note the mission of ABMDR is to save lives by recruiting and providing matched unrelated donors for bone marrow or stem cell transplantation to all Armenian and non-Armenian patients worldwide suffering from life-threatening blood related illnesses through searching requests and provide marrow or stem cell matching services for potential bone marrow transplant recipients.