The method allows quantitative estimation of two basic biological properties of such cells, namely their multiplication and their differentiation. Each week the paving-like colonies formed by the primitive cells on the culture bed are counted and their morphology is observed. The arithmetical index obtained by linear analysis of the results expresses the ability of the primitive cells to multiply. At the end of the culture period (5th week) the total number of ancestral cells derived from the differentiation of the primitive cells in the initial haemopoietic specimen is counted. The method is applied to assess the quality of haemopoietic grafts of various origins (bone marrow, peripheral blood, umbilical cord). It also has prognostic and diagnostic value in myelodysplastic syndromes. Finally, it can be applied for the study of the biological behaviour of the primitive cells in any clonic haemopoietic disorder.
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