Mesenchymal stem cells from CD34(-) human umbilical cord blood.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is well known to be a rich source of stem cells especially for haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have also been shown to exist in cord blood. Although MSCs have been described by a subset of surface antigens after expansion, little is known about the cell surface phenotype of undifferentiated MSCs.