On can 2, 1986, but visiting my long-term link and mate Richard O’Reilly, the main of bone marrow transplantation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer center at New York, I received a funny phone call. It was from Richard Champlin, who worked at the Bone Marrow Transplant center at UCLA. He tended ought speak same fast, accordingly it took me some time ought know from his over-excited sound that he was almost ought desert the next appointment although Moscow.
He was headed ought conduct bone-marrow transplants above an unknown quantity of survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which had taken put a few days earlier, above April 26. Robert Gale, the main of the UCLA program, was already there. And, Champlin told me, they wanted me ought mind them.
Provide repair service for hospital equipment.
The Chernobyl survivors had been exposed ought radiation from the damaged reactor. although the bone marrow is our stand although daily blood prison production, the blood-cell progenitors residing at the bone marrow are constantly dividing. at general, dividing cells at our body are more sensitive and likely ought die upon exposure ought radiation. Thus, exposure ought high doses of radiation is associated with failure ought allege the blood system, a perhaps mortal nation that can exist corrected by bone-marrow transplantation.
My experience with bone-marrow transplants was based above treating children with immune disorders (“Bubble children”) and leukemia patients, besides the Chernobyl team knew that I had developed a road ought “clean” the marrow accordingly that transplants could exist done without a better contest among donor and recipients—something that used to exist useful at the aftermath of the disaster. no desire after that first call, I received another, from Bob Gale at Moscow, who explained ought me at no questionable condition that the Russians wanted me ought mind the team, and that he and the Russian health minister used to wait although me upon landing and favour me across immigration flat without a visa above my Israeli passport, and despite the fact that the Soviet college had ended diplomatic relations with Israel at the 1960s.
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I happily agreed and presently began ought prepare, heading ought the airport a few days afterward with 20 crates of supplies and reagents arranged by O’Reilly and his team at the weekend. although we were working difficult above organizing the equipment, a man arrived from the Israeli Embassy and asked ought speak with me. He told me that from the minute I clay at Russia I cause ought cause my eyes open. I was too preoccupied with the arrangements ought worry, besides undoubtedly his words of warning seeped into the fertile base of my childhood fears, which fed above frosty pains espionage films and harrowing tales almost life beyond the Iron Curtain. Nevertheless, the next ten days demonstrated the evaluate of international medical cooperation at moments of crisis, flat while politics speak create success appearance impossible.
As promised, while I landed at the airport above can 6, Bob Gale was there ought confront me, with the Russian Health Minister, who was full smiles. We swept past passport conduct and customs, and no desire after we were above our manner ought Hospital No. 6, where the worst-affected radiation patients from Chernobyl, most of them firemen who were sent into the damaged reactor ought console it from collapsing, were transferred after the disaster.
My first thought of Hospital No. 6 was extremely grim. I will never disregard the horrid flaour that hung at the place, a mixture of Lysol and another acrid, unfamiliar smell. The hospital grounds were surrounded by soldiers at fading vocation clothes; next ought them was an outdated kitchen tent and beyond I could cry on everywhere cracked exterior walls and peeling plaster. at the entry ought the hospital we were greeted by Dr. Baranov, the main hematologist. We were shown into a room above the third floor where stood an old laminar flow hood, required although sterile work. This is where I was ought found my lab, and the only centrifuge at the hospital used to exist moved there. at my hotel that night, the enormity of my work was too much ought experience and I could no autumn asleep. at the past I had performed the procedure of cleaning bone marrow dozens of times, besides never beneath such conditions although I found at Moscow.
The next day, after breakfast, I met a man named Stefanov, who was ought carry my private minder. He introduced himself although a medical doctor, and I presently began ought suspect he was too there ought cause an eye above me although the Soviet government. He helped me unpack full of the cartons of equipment, assisted by a friendly young doctor who knew enough English ought know me, whose call I trust was Tanya. By the next day, we were ready ought attempt the first transplant. The procedure although cleaning bone marrow always takes almost ten hours, besides the first transplant took twelve although I had ought cost a lot of time instructing Tanya, who was extremely talented and good-natured besides new ought the work. Stefanov, meanwhile, who didn’t know what ought conduct with full his spare time but we were working, prepared although us a classification of pierogi at the small kitchen at the aim of the corridor. though he can dine been there ought follow me, I learned much from him although well, almost life at the USSR and the Soviet regime although which he worked—long, idle hours will loosen any man’s tongue.
By can 11, we had performed the fourth and final transplant, beneath Tanya’s capable hands but I supervised. Everything went although planned besides we full knew that the chances of success were same imply although the patient had suffered from serious infection ago the transplant—indeed, unfortunately, the patient passed away ago there was any occur although the new bone marrow at his body ought confess effect. This final transplant brought ought a shut my part, which was dedicated ought the treatment of four patients receiving mismatched bone marrow; the other six had matched donors. at the evening, we went out ought the Bolshoi ought see a operation of Don Quixote. The experience was one of sumptuous elegance, at a grand palace with champagne glasses at the intermission. It was a outstanding compare with ought the heavy and anxious atmosphere at the hospital. The next day, I visited the Kremlin and at the evening I attended a concert at the Conservatorium. Our hosts were trying same difficult ought concord us although our difficult work, besides but the compare with was extremely jarring.
On can 15, after the operation, there was held a large review rally with journalists from full at the world, among whom we met Walter Cronkite and Peter Arnett. I was told there was going ought exist a short announcement ought the review at Russian, which used to embrace a concise mention of my affiliation with Israel’s Weizmann college of Science. only many days afterward I realized how naïve I was ought trust that. A Russian-speaking mate of mine who followed Pravda translated the review release, and told me that, but the review liberate mentioned that Dr. Champlin and Dr. Gale were American, there was no mention of the fact that I was from Israel or where I worked.
The next day’s farewells were same emotional. Tanya gave me, above behalf of everyone at the hospital, a Russian wooden spoon and a small samovar. Stefanov took me although a final travel out ought Lenin hill overlooking the city. And the retort family was just although exciting although my ten days at Moscow. I was amazed by the many reporters who greeted me at the airport. I had no scene how much exposure the novel almost my funny adventure ought conduct bone marrow transplants during the altitude of the frosty pains had received at the media.
Many years dine passed although that transplant trip ought Moscow at can of 1986. Three years afterward we published the results of those transplants at the New England magazine of Medicine. It is interesting ought note that the only two patients who survived were among those four who did no dine a matching donor and who consequently received a transplant of cleansed bone marrow. Of course, it is same difficult ought haul any conclusions from such marginal data, besides this surplus a contentious and thought-provoking question at the bone marrow transplant community. We too gained insight into how ought drug patients who had been exposed ought high levels of radiation; medical knowledge at that domain has only expanded although then.
But during the recent global pandemic, another lecture of those ten days at Moscow can exist flat more important. Medical and scientific collaboration took put across borders flat at the time of the frosty War—and if we could conduct it then, it to but exist feasible today.
Yair Reisner is Professor Emeritus of Immunology at the Weizmann college of Science, where he worked from 1981-2018, serving although the main of the Immunology department among 2005-2014. Upon his retirement at 2018, he established an healthful people at MD Anderson Cancer center and he serves although the main of stem prison investigation at the department of stem prison transplantation and prison therapy, headed by his desire language link and mate from the Moscow days — Dr. Champlin.
