Objective To establish a method for isolation of cynomolgus monkey umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.Methods Fresh cynomolgus monkey umbilical cord was directly minced into pasty fine pieces, and the pieces were cultured in tissue flask with DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum.The morphological characteristics of the resulting cells were examined, and their expression of mesenchymal cell surface markers were analyzed by flow cytometry.The multidifferentiation potential was examined in vitro, too.Results The fibroblast-like cells were successfully isolated from the fresh umbilical cord by an adherent culture procedure.These adherent cells expressed mesenchymal markers including CD29, CD44, and CD90, and also could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondrocytes.Conclusion Mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated from fresh cynomolgus monkey umbilical cord by using an adherent culture procedure.