Fresh human umbilical cords were collected, with the written consent of the parents.
The umbilical cord vessels were removed, and the mesenchymal tissue was diced into cubes, washed, and finally seeded into a T75-cm2 tissue culture flask. After 12–15 days of culture, the remnants of the cord fragments were removed, and the adherent cells were cultured until confluence (first passage). These UC-MSC were then cultured and collected between the third and fourth passages, for transfusion into patients.