First rare-blood bank under way
Shanghai is building the country's first bank for rare blood types.
The Shanghai Blood Centre will stock blood types found in about one in every 1,000 people. The facility should be ready in three to five years.
The centre has spent 1 million yuan over the past three years screening 300,000 samples for seven out of 29 blood group systems and researchers have so far identified more than 50 people with exceptional types.
By the end of this year, the centre intends to broaden its screening process to cover 20 blood group systems. It also hopes to identify around 1,000 rare-blood donors in three to five years.
Zhu Ziyan , director of the centre's Blood Group References Laboratory, said the centre made the carriers aware of their rare asset and asked them to donate supplies for their own use and for others.
'They realise the donations are for their future use, so the donors are very co-operative,' Professor Zhu said.
'Our biggest difficulty is money. With more money, we could do it all better and quicker.
'But we also have one advantage - China has a huge population, which means we have a bigger base than other countries to spot more donors.'
Professor Zhu said the centre was working with ethnic communities throughout the mainland to look for rare blood types not found among the Han Chinese.
In addition to blood transplants, rare lines can also give clues about the origins and migration of different ethnic groups.
According to Xinhua, China will work with Japan to set up an Asian rare-blood centre to integrate resources throughout the region.
