Off-the-shelf mesenchymal stromal cells derived from umbilical cord tissue

Background Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSC) are multipotent cells residing in all support and structural tissues of the organism and they are capable of extensive expansion in vitro while preserving their identity, potency and genetic stability [1]. Umbilical cord (UC)-derived MSC (UC-MSC) are thought to be more primitive progenitor cells than those isolated from bone marrow or lipoaspirates [2]. The fact that the umbilical cord is a waste tissue is an added value to the isolation of UC-MSC from this source for the generation of cell banks for later use in the allogeneic treatment context as off-the-shelf product [3]. However, several limitations exist regarding the success of the isolation and expansion of UC-MSC up to clinically relevant doses under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environments, provided that current methods 1) require large quantities of tissue processed immediately after birth, 2) are time-consuming, and 3) result in low cellular yields. In the present study, two methods for UC-MSC derivation from the Wharton’s Jelly (WJ) of the UC tissue were tested, namely 1) mechanical scrapping of WJ, and 2) enzymatic digestion of umbilical cord tissue for further use in GMP-compliant cell culture production bioprocesses.