title: Mononuclear cells from a rare blood donor, after freezing under good manufacturing practice conditions, generate red blood cells that recapitulate the rare blood phenotype.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) from cord blood (CB) have been proposed as transfusion products. Whether buffy coats discarded from blood donations (adult blood [AB]) may be used to generate cRBCs for transfusion has not been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Erythroid progenitor cell content and numbers and blood group antigen profiles of erythroblasts (ERYs) and cRBCs generated in human erythroid massive amplification (HEMA) culture by CB (n = 7) and AB (n = 33, three females, three males, one AB with rare blood antigens cryopreserved using CB protocols) were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Variability was observed both in progenitor cell content (twofold) and number of ERYs generated (1 log) by CB and AB in HEMA. The average progenitor cell contents of the subset of AB and CB analyzed were similar. AB generated numbers of ERYs three times lower (p < 0.01) than CB in HEMA containing fetal bovine serum but similar to CB in HEMA containing human proteins. Female AB contained two times fewer (p < 0.05) erythroid progenitor cells but generated numbers of ERYs similar to those generated by male AB. Cryopreserved AB with a rare blood group phenotype and shipped to another laboratory generated great numbers of ERYs, 90% of which matured into cRBCs. Blood group antigen expression was consistent with the donor genotype for ERYs generated both by CB and AB but concordant with that of native RBCs only for cells derived from AB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Buffy coats from regular donors, including a donor with rare phenotypes stored under conditions established for CB, are not inferior to CB for the generation of cRBCs.
authors.affiliation: Hematology/Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanita', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masiello
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tirelli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Emile
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van den Akker
authors.forename: Girelli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gabriella
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rebulla
authors.forename: Ghazala
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hashmi
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Whitsett
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Migliaccio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001793:Blood Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000592:standards; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005615:Freezing; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008420:Manufactured Materials / Q000592:standards; D010641:Phenotype