Umbilical cord (UC) is a promising source of MSCs. Comparing with other adult sources of MSCs such as bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs, UC-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) have their apparent advantages, such as non-invasive starting material collection, faster self-renewal and young cells with minimal background genetic mutation. UC-MSCs can be expanded and cryopreserved until administration and can be developed into an “off-the-shelf” and ready-to-use cell product.