Abstract: The present invention refers to an optimized and defined method for isolation and preservation of precursor cells from human umbilical cord. Besides being reproducible and 100% reliable, in terms of the number of samples processed, the method results in a high and defined number of precursor cells, being the majority obtained after a single adhesion and expansion/multiplication phase ex vivo (thus granting cell phenotype), in a shorter time frame than what was previously described in the state-of-the-art. With this method, it is possible to obtain, in 9 days, after direct freezing of a cell fraction, and after one expansion/multiplication phase ex vivo (end of P0) of the majority of the cells, about 8.6(±0.1)×105 cells/gram of processed umbilical cord. In turn, the characteristics of the cells allow, for example, after 35 days, obtaining an average of 7.7×1015 cells, with precursor phenotype, from 100% of processed umbilical cord samples.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is the use of a preparation containing a phytepsin, more specifically a cyprosin, containing the heterodimer, its N-terminal pro-peptide, the mature N-terminal peptide, and mature C-terminal peptide, as well as other precursor species, processing products, and aggregate species, either isolated or in any combinations of the former, native, extracted and partially purified from flowers of Cynara cardunculus, or recombinant, extracted from the supernatant from a culture of Saccharomyces cereviseae genetically modified for the heterologous production of cyprosin, for therapeutic applications more precisely for its use as an antitumor agent.

Abstract: The present invention refers to an optimized and defined method for isolation and preservation of precursor cells from human umbilical cord. Besides being reproducible and 100% reliable, in terms of the number of samples processed, the method results in a high and defined number of precursor cells, being the majority obtained after a single adhesion and expansion/multiplication phase ex vivo (thus granting cell phenotype), in a shorter time frame than what was previously described in the state-of-the-art. With this method, it is possible to obtain, in 9 days, after direct freezing of a cell fraction, and after one expansion/multiplication phase ex vivo (end of P0) of the majority of the cells, about 8.6(±0.1)×105 cells/gram of processed umbilical cord. In turn, the characteristics of the cells allow, for example, after 35 days, obtaining an average of 7.7×1015 cells, with precursor phenotype, from 100% of processed umbilical cord samples.