The first phase of the giant project, including a recently completed stem cell bank and an engineering center which together cover 20,000 square meters, has collected up to 6,000 samples of stem cells and provided matching services for over 300 patients from home and abroad, sources with the base confirmed Tuesday.

The engineering center, backed by the blood research institute under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, has developed antibodies, reagents and medicine for clinical use.

When the whole project is completed in 2010, the base will be the largest stem cell bank in Asia with one million samples.

Its stem cell transplant center, on the other hand, is expected to provide transplants for 200 patients a year.

The matching, transplanting and medical application of stem cells could help prolong the lives of leukemia and some other cancer patients, treat heart diseases, diabetes, early stage Alzheimer's disease and repair marrow damage, said Professor Han Zhongchao, a specialist in blood diseases and stem cell research.

The base is being built by Xiehe Stem Cell Genic Project Limited Company, a firm set up by the blood research institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and several listed companies.

Experts say the stem cell base will boost genetic engineering and the clinical application of stem cell technology in China.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2002)