Evaluation of biological features of cord blood units in different Taiwan ethnics

Background: Cord blood banks are established worldwide as a result of the increased use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation. The outcomes of this procedure relate to the cell dose of the UCB unit and the UCB collection. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the differentiation of ethnicity influenced the biological features of the UCB units. Methods: A total of 1743 UCB units were measured for the biological features, including white blood cell count, red blood cell, Hb, CD34(superscript +) and volume of cord blood. Of these, 149 Mainlander, 1367 Hoklo, and 163 Hakka units were selected from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cell Center Results: The three groups were comparable for biological features of the UCB units. No differences were observed between the different ethnic groups in terms of white blood cell count, red blood cell, Hb, and volume of cord blood, except mean CD34(superscript +) in univariate analysis. However, the mean CD34(superscript +) cells appeared to be lower in Middle Taiwan in trend after adjustment for demographic factors. Conclusions: This preliminary study showed that ethnic distribution factor appeared to affect CB cell yields in Taiwan.