For the fifth consecutive time, the European Federation of Immunogenetics (EFI) renewed the operating license of the HLA Typing Lab of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) in Yerevan. The license renewal was announced July 6 after an extensive on-site inspection of the lab. The EFI inspection is held on a triennial basis, to make certain that EFI-affiliated facilities — such as the ABMDR Lab — continue to comply with EFI standards in terms of technical operations, staff skills and knowledge, and equipment quality.
This year’s inspection at the ABMDR Lab was conducted by two EFI-designated inspectors, Professor Maria Guadalupe of Spain, and Professor Theodora Keramitsoghlu of Greece.
Professors Guadalupe and Keramitsoghlu implemented an extensive examination of the Lab. They inspected methodologies and protocols, technical documents, procedures pertaining to HLA typing for patients as well as related and unrelated donors, and research with regard to the connection between certain HLA antigens and a wide range of medical conditions. The inspectors also examined the integrity and accuracy of all medical equipment and instruments utilized at the lab.
Following the examination, Guadalupe and Keramitsoghlu unreservedly approved the relicensing of the ABMDR Lab, stating that the institution remains on par with the very best labs in Europe and throughout the world. Both inspectors also had high praise for the lab’s staff, commending their extraordinary level of expertise and professionalism as well as their courteousness and amiability.
The ABMDR Lab is the only facility of its type in not only Armenia but the entire Caucasus region. The renewal of the lab’s EFI license will enable the facility to continue its collaboration with laboratories and transplant centers worldwide and help save the lives of patients struck by life-threatening blood-related illnesses.
“EFI’s prestigious endorsement of the ABMDR Lab is of enormous importance to our work, as it will allow us to continue to conduct pioneering medical research and help save lives across the globe,” Dr. Frieda Jordan, President of ABMDR, said.
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-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 29,000 donors in 29 countries across four continents, identified 4,482 patients, and facilitated 31 bone marrow transplants.
