More than 7,100 people in Shenzhen have registered as donors to a national marrow bank, almost 10 percent of the total number of more than 82,000.

On Dec. 30, 2001, the Shenzhen marrow bank sent the data of 2,076 donors to the national databank in Beijing for the first time.

Since then, about 500 leukemia patients nationwide have had their marrow matched from the databank and 60 people have received transplants. More than 170 patients have found matched marrow from Shenzhen donors while 20 Shenzheners have donated their blood stem cells to patients here and in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou.

The databank had set up 24 branches and 24 matching laboratories, forming a comprehensive data network, according to Hong Junling, director of the bank's data management center.

He estimated the bank could register up to 500,000 donors in five to 10 years.

(Shenzhen Daily October 17, 2003)