Studying Umbilical Cord Blood From African-American Donors

Investigation of the Total Nucleated Cell Yield of Cord Blood Units Collected From African-American Donors in Correlation With Gestational and Other Health Variables

RATIONALE: Studying umbilical cord blood in the laboratory and gathering information about current and previous pregnancies from African-American umbilical cord blood donors may help doctors learn more about the umbilical cord blood of these donors.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is looking at umbilical cord blood from African-American donors.

OBJECTIVES:

• To correlate the total nucleated cell yield of cord blood units from African-American cord blood donors with gestational history, maternal history, and delivery information.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Donors complete questionnaires about their demographics, maternal history, gestational history, and delivery. Cord blood units (CBU) are collected in utero and transported to the Stem Cell Processing Laboratory where they are evaluated for CBU volume and cell count (i.e., total nucleated cell yield) and cryopreserved. The study results will then be used to devise future interventional strategies to improve the yield of nucleated cells of CBU.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• African-American participant in the National Marrow Donor Program cord blood collection protocol C-2844
• Recruited from the Labor and Delivery Suites of the Detroit Medical Center or its affiliated sites

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified