HLA-A, -B and -DR antigen frequencies of the London Cord Blood Bank units differ from those found in established bone marrow donor registries.

Patients requiring allogeneic stem cell transplantation who do not have an HLA-matched related donor can sometimes obtain an unrelated donor by searching volunteer registries. The majority of donors in the registries are Caucasoid, which results in a lower probability of a non-Caucasoid patient finding a suitable donor. Cord blood is increasingly used as a source of haematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic bone marrow reconstitution and so far the London Cord Blood Bank has banked almost 3000 cord blood units. An analysis of the first 1500 units banked showed that more than 30% of the London Cord Blood Bank units are derived from UK ethnic minorities compared with only 2% of individuals recruited locally for the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR). The HLA types found in these cord blood units reflect their ethnic diversity and include: HLA-A34, A36, A80, B75, B61, B53, B78, B81 and B82. The units stored by the London Cord Blood Bank show an HLA profile which differs considerably from that of locally typed adult volunteers for the BBMR panel and this should help to increase the chances of obtaining acceptably HLA-matched donors for patients from ethnic minorities. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 25, 475-481.