About Us: BoneMarrowTest.com and Kashi Clinical Laboratories
Kashi Clinical Laboratories, founded and based in Oregon, performs specialized tests and molecular analyses that provide solutions to challenging clinical conditions. The laboratory offers a comprehensive menu for marrow and stem cell transplantation including a wide platform of HLA applications. Our team consists of scientists with many years of histocompatibility experience who have developed and performed these specialized tests on patient and donor samples from all over the world. In addition to collaborating with numerous hospitals and healthcare organizations, the laboratory staff members have provided HLA services to various registries, including National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) since 1990.
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By offering the web site at www.bonemarrowtest.com, we help bridge the gap for patients, their families, extended families, friends and colleagues interested in being a stem cell donor without the prerequisite of joining domestic or international donor registries. This, we believe, will provide you with the convenience of obtaining the service, support, and pricing that best suits your specific needs and preferences.
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In the past, registries have been the primary source of bone marrow transplant testing. This situation is now changing. Many stem cell transplant centers now pursue extended family member testing prior to searching for an unrelated marrow donor for the patient. In addition, in this era of accessible public outreach, patients and their families are mobilizing friends, co-workers and neighbors who want to help by being tested. KCL's team responds to this need with a fast and easy process for HLA testing that meets the needs of patients. It also provides a variety of services to help patients identify suitable matches for a stem cell transplant.
We are committed to support the transplantation and cellular therapy community. We share your value of conducting business in an ethical and safe manner while providing quality results and services on time and within budget. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
Zahra Mehdizadeh Kashi, PhD, HCLD
Dr. Zahra Mehdizadeh Kashi is a Board Certified Molecular Immunohematologist with 17 years of HLA experience. She completed her undergraduate studies in Medical Technology at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. Subsequent to successful MT board certifications, she began her HLA career by accepting a technologist position at the HLA laboratory of the Pacific Northwest American Red Cross (PNWARC).
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While working full-time as HLA technologist at the PNWARC, Dr. Kashi pursued her graduate studies by attending Portland State University (PSU), where she obtained her Masters degree in Immunology. As part of her graduate work at PSU, Dr. Kashi conducted a population genetics study analyzing HLA polymorphism in several Amerindian and Mestizo populations from Oaxaca, Mexico. Within three months of graduation, Dr. Kashi accepted the full-time Management position of the HLA laboratory at the PNWARC. At the same time, she continued to further her graduate studies by starting her doctoral degree education at PSU and OHSU. She completed her dissertation on Transforming Growth Factor b signal transduction in prostate cancer at OHSU and received her doctoral degree with specialization in molecular immunohematology. Shortly after graduation, she successfully obtained her AAB (HCLD) Board certification and was appointed as the HLA Laboratory Director of the PNWARC. It was during this tenure that she recognized there were unmet transplant/transfusion-related needs in the HLA community. Consequently, despite the progressive advancement of responsibilities in her career with the PNWARC, Dr. Kashi proceeded with establishing another clinical laboratory (Kashi Clinical Laboratories) to better support cellular therapy advancements. Her goal was to offer services that provided better patient care before and after transplantation. Dr. Kashi's passion for the field of Histocompatibility and her high standards are well reflected in the services provided by her laboratories. Dr. Kashi is currently serving as the Director and Clinical Consultant of both laboratories.
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Dr. Kashi has managed a quality operation in the field of transplantation and transfusion support. She is licensed by the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) for all technologies and in the following areas of accreditation: HSC/BM Transplantation (Related Donor and Unrelated Donor), Parentage Testing, Histocompatibility Testing for Other Clinical Purposes, and Transfusion Support. Dr. Kashi has performed all of her duties in compliance with standard operating procedures and regulations outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other applicable Federal, State and local regulatory agencies. These agencies include but are not limited to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA), as well as accrediting organizations such as the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), ASHI, and the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
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Dr. Kashi has maintained frequent contact with national and international clinical laboratories by continued collaboration with their physicians and laboratory Directors. Her main research interest is the role of HLA molecules in the pathophysiology of Transfusion- Related Acute Lung injury (TRALI); she has multiple publications on the topic. In addition, since 1998 Dr. Kashi has served as an inspector for several of the licensing and accrediting organizations including ASHI and CAP and has inspected numerous histocompatibility laboratories nationwide.
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In addition to the above accomplishments, Dr. Kashi is staying current with the science and technology of the clinical laboratory field via academic involvement. She is an Assistant Professor at OHSU teaching Clinical Laboratory Science students. In addition, she is a faculty member at Portland Community College teaching science courses to Nursing and Allied Health students.
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Diane Tolley, Regional Sales Manager
Diane, the mother of a child that had a bone marrow transplant, brings to KCL first hand knowledge of what a patient and their family encounters during the transplant process. Diane organized Life-Core, a non-profit foundation in Oregon; She was one of the Regional Managers for LifeSavers Foundation and managed the National Marrow Donor Program'sŪ Pacific Northwest Regional Office doing donor recruitment She has worked for HLA testing labs since 1998 and has strived to bring private testing to potential donors wanting to be tested for a specific patient. Diane is the author of Finding the Money - A Guide to Paying Medical Bills. Diane brings to KCL her passion for making sure that patient gets to transplant as quickly and efficiently as possible and people wanting to be a potential donor have affordable access to private HLA testing.
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Pat Pietrzak, Regional Sales Manager
After years of service for Tepnel Lifecodes, Pat joins us in the field to better provide service for our clinical, cord and research clients in the United States. Her extensive background of over 20 years in Client Services and past 3 years as Regional Manager with Tepnel Lifecodes makes her a natural for expanding our customer relations in the field. Most importantly, Pat knows that customer satisfaction is the most important benchmark of our services.