Scientists Tap Amniotic Fluid For Stem Cells (1/12/2008)
Scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have reported success in using otherwise discarded amniotic fluid as a source of stem cells from which they have created muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory.
The first report showing the isolation of broad-potential stem cells from the readily available amniotic fluid that surrounds developing embryos was published Jan. 7 in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
"Our hope is that these cells will provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for engineered organs as well," said Anthony Atala, M.D., senior researcher and director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Atala and colleagues discovered a small number of stem cells in amniotic fluid -- estimated at 1 percent -- that can give rise to many of the specialized cell types found in the human body. The scientists believe the newly discovered stem cells, which they have named amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells, may represent an intermediate stage between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. They have markers consistent with both cell types.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center
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