Umbilical cord tissue provides a unique source of cells with potential for tissue repair.
Umbilical cord tissue–derived cells (UTCs) are MHC class I (MHCI) dull and negative for
MHC class II (MHCII), but can be activated to increase MHCI and to express MHCII with IFN-
γ stimulation. Mesenchymal stem cells with similar characteristics have been inferred to be
nonimmunogenic; however, in most cases, immunogenicity was not directly assessed. Using
UTC from Massachusetts General Hospital MHC-defined miniature swine, we assessed …

… Objective: Umbilical cord tissue provides a unique source of cells with potential for tissue
repair. Other cells with this potential, such as mesenchymal stem cells, have been reported
as non-immunogenic based on in vitro studies, but immunogenicity of pig umbilical-cord
derived cells (pUTC) has not previously been described. Using pUTC derived from MGH
MHC-defined miniature swine, we tested whether pUTC stimulate an immune response
across a full MHC barrier. Methods: …