Scientists come up with embryo stem cell alternative
Source: Agencies |
July 4, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
STEM cells taken from amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells and may offer an alternative to the medically valuable but controversial cells, scientists said yesterday.
British researchers said they had succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes. This suggests the possibility that stem cells derived from donated amniotic fluid could be stored in banks and used for medical therapies and in research, offering a less problematic alternative to embryonic stem cells.
Stem cells are the body's master cells, the source for all other cells. Scientists say that by helping to regenerate tissue, they could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are currently no treatments.
Embryonic stem cells are harvested from embryos and have the potential to become almost any type of tissue. Alternatives to embryonic stem cells are always being keenly sought, partly due to ethical concerns and also due to the limited availability of donor embryos.
In this study, published in the journal Molecular Therapy, scientists from Imperial College London and University College London said amniotic fluid stem cells are an intermediate between embryonic and adult stem cells. "They have some potential to develop into different cell types but they are not pluripotent (or fully flexible)," Imperial's Pascale Guillot said.
British researchers said they had succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes. This suggests the possibility that stem cells derived from donated amniotic fluid could be stored in banks and used for medical therapies and in research, offering a less problematic alternative to embryonic stem cells.
Stem cells are the body's master cells, the source for all other cells. Scientists say that by helping to regenerate tissue, they could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are currently no treatments.
Embryonic stem cells are harvested from embryos and have the potential to become almost any type of tissue. Alternatives to embryonic stem cells are always being keenly sought, partly due to ethical concerns and also due to the limited availability of donor embryos.
In this study, published in the journal Molecular Therapy, scientists from Imperial College London and University College London said amniotic fluid stem cells are an intermediate between embryonic and adult stem cells. "They have some potential to develop into different cell types but they are not pluripotent (or fully flexible)," Imperial's Pascale Guillot said.
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