Once exclusively obtained from the posterior pelvis of a suitable donor under general anaesthesia, haemopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) are routinely collected from peripheral blood as well as from the umbilical cord and placenta post delivery. Recognition that haemopoietic growth factors, administered alone or following chemotherapy, result in mobilisation of HPCs into peripheral blood has had a profound impact on stem cell collection, both for autologous transplantation and for healthy allogeneic stem cell donors. Use of bone marrow (HPC, Marrow) remains a mainstay of treatment for paediatric or patients with aplastic anaemia. Often, due to logistical reasons, the HPC product is stored for short periods of time (hours) in an unmanipulated liquid state. Quality assurance testing of products at multiple stages of processing is essential to assure the safety, composition and potency of the product, and must form part of an established quality assurance and accreditation programme to guarantee high standards in HPC transplantation.