Treatment of retinitis pigmentosa with human umbilical cord cells

A method of treating a patient having retinitis pigmentosa, the method comprising administering cells isolated from a human postpartum umbilical cord to the interior of the patient's eye, in an amount effective to treat the retinitis pigmentosa, wherein the cells are capable of self-renewal and expansion in culture, have the potential to differentiate into cells of at least a neural phenotype, and have the following characteristics:

• a) potential for at least 40 doublings in culture;
• b) attachment and expansion on a coated or uncoated tissue culture vessel, wherein the coated tissue culture vessel comprises a coating of gelatin, laminin, collagen, polyornithine, vitronectin, or fibronectin;
• c) production of vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin;
• d) production of CD10, CD13, CD44, CD73, HLA-A,B,C, and CD90;
• e) increased expression of endogenous genes encoding interleukin 8 and reticulon 1 relative to endogenous expression of interleukin 8 and reticulon 1 in a human cell that is a fibroblast, a mesenchymal stem cell, or an ileac crest bone marrow cell;
• and
• f) lack of production of CD31, CD34, CD45, CD117, and CD141.