Hematopoietic progenitors from umbilical cord blood

Background/Aim: The aim of this study is to improve the obstetrician-based cord blood collection system and an efficient recovery of CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor stem cells. Methods: CD34+ cells were purified from total blood using a positive selection enrichment method, called Mini-Macs. Results: The final yield of CD34+ cells we obtained was 10(4) cells/ml, with a CD34+ purity of 99%. Conclusion: Our results confirm that, by using this method, it is possible to get a significant stem cell number, thus improving transplanting both peripheral stem cells and umbilical cord ones. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.