SSEA-3 pluripotent stem cell isolated from body tissue

1. A method for enriching for human cells isolated from mesodermal or mesenchymal tissue of a living mammalian body, the method comprising

(a) isolating human mesodermal or human mesenchymal cells that express SSEA-3 from human mesodermal or mesenchymal cells; and

(b) collecting the SSEA-3 (+) human cells which comprise SSEA-3(+) human cells which are capable of forming cell clusters, the cell clusters including SSEA-3(+) human cells which:

(i) exhibit low or no telomerase activity;

(ii) are capable of differentiating into three germ layers;

(iii) exhibit the lack of neoplastic proliferation;

(iv) exhibit self-renewal capability;

(v) are CD31 (−);

(vi) are CD105(+); and

(c) enriching the SSEA-3(+) human cells which exhibits (i) to (vi) above.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the human cell further has the following properties:

(i) being negative for CD117 and negative for CD146;

(ii) being negative for CD117, negative for CD146, negative for NG2, negative for CD34, negative for vWF, and negative for CD271;

(iii) being negative for CD34, negative for CD117, negative for CD146, negative for CD271, negative for NG2, negative for vWF, negative for Sox10, negative for Snail, negative for Slug, negative for Tyrp1, and negative for Dct; and

(iv) having low or no telomerase activity.

3. A method for enriching human cells isolated from mesodermal or mesenchymal tissue of a living mammalian body, the method comprising:

(a) exposing a population of human mesodermal or human mesenchymal cells to cellular stress which is dispase or collagenase incubation;

(b) collecting surviving cells which comprises at least 9% of human cells which can form cell clusters, the cell clusters including cells which comprise the following phenotypes:

(i) are SSEA-3 (+);

(ii) exhibit low or no telomerase activity;

(iii) exhibit a lack of neoplastic proliferation;

(iv) exhibit self-renewal capability;

(v) exhibit a lack of CD31 expression or CD31 (−);

(vi) are CD105(+); and

(c) enriching the human cells which comprises phenotypes (i) to (vi) above.