Enumerating regulatory T cells in cryopreserved umbilical cord blood samples using FOXP3 methylation specific quantitative PCR.

Epigenetic assessment offers significant advantages over flow cytometry for analysing cryopreserved CB; similar cell numbers were observed both in fresh and frozen samples. Furthermore, multiple epigenetic assessments can be performed from DNA extracted from small cryopreserved CB segments; often the only CB sample available for clinical studies.