From left: Darren & Natalia Avanesian, lab technician Ani Azaryan
LOS ANGELES – The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry has completed its second annual Summer Internship Program, in Yerevan.
Through this initiative, which took place during July and the first week of August, six high-school students from the United States and Canada received training and mentorship at ABMDR’s HLA-Typing Laboratory, in the Armenian capital.
Each student will receive a Certificate of Completion. Given the fact that the ABMDR Lab is accredited by the European Federation for Immunogenetics, the Certificate of Completion can be a valuable asset in job resumes as well as for college and university applications, said Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of ABMDR.
The interns included Darren Avanesian and his sister, Natalia Avanesian (both from Providence High School, in Burbank, California), Iren Babajanyan (from Lucille-Teasdale International School, Brossard, Quebec, Canada), Emma Kardzair (from Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, Los Angeles), Jacqueline Khachadourian (from Immaculate Heart High School, Los Angeles), and Alexia Minassian (from Chaminade College Preparatory High School, West Hills, California).
“Ever since we launched our Summer Internship Program last year, the response by students and their families has been extremely positive,” Dr. Jordan said. “It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm of our young interns, and also their sense of camaraderie, as they’re trained and mentored at our lab. These are our future scientists, researchers, and inventors, and we’re all so very proud of them!”
During their internship at the ABMDR Lab, the students gained basic theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in methodologies used in immunogenetics and bone marrow/stem cell donor matching.
Topics of the training encompassed DNA extraction, HLA-typing methodologies, gel electrophoresis, and interpretation of results, instructed by lab supervisor Armine Hyusyan and lab technician Ani Azaryan.
The interns were also provided with an overview of local and international donor databases (such as those of ABMDR and other national registries), and were given a demonstration of two major global donor-search platforms, namely those of the European Marrow Donor Information System and the World Marrow Donor Association. This component of the instruction was provided by ABMDR database manager Alina Sirunyan.
As importantly, the interns were familiarized with ABMDR’s core operations, including community outreach and donor recruitment, medical research, stem-cell harvesting, and cord-blood banking. This component of the instruction was provided by ABMDR Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan.
Dr. Jordan said, “We hope that every student who has seen our work up close will go on to become an ABMDR youth ambassador, by going back to their communities and helping us with outreach and recruitment, and joining our NextGen team.”
Last year, four high-school students from California completed ABMDR’s inaugural Summer Internship Program. The interns included Emily Davoodian, Vahan Gadimyan, and Zara Ovanessian, all from Providence High School; as well as Alexander Galstyan, from Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School.
ABMDR’s HLA-Typing Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility, recognized internationally by all major transplant centers. It is the only one of its kind in the whole of the Caucasus, and the only lab in the region to be accredited by the European Federation for Immunogenetics.
The ABMDR Summer Internship Program is open to college students (graduate and undergraduate), as well as high-school seniors, with a proper course background. Students interested in participating in the 2027 Summer Internship Program should submit a one-page request to info@abmdr.am. The request should include a short biography and a list of courses taken in the fields of biology and chemistry.
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 33,500 donors in 32 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 45 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the ABMDR website.
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