Posted on 10/09/2005 6:00:10 PM PDT by Coleus
Boston doctors used cells taken from a pregnant lamb's amniotic fluid to grow a new trachea, then implanted the organ into the ailing fetus, an experiment that may pave the way for similar treatment in humans.
Using cells from amniotic fluid to repair or replace human organs may bypass some of the political and ethical obstacles doctors encounter with fetal cells, said Children's Hospital Boston pediatric surgeon Dario Fauza, who led the experiments.
"You avoid all the ethical dilemmas of the embryonic stem cell," Fauza said. "The cells are already there" in the mother's amniotic fluid. "We are just harvesting it and making the tissue you want."
Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds and protects a fetus inside the womb. Fauza reported similar success last year with newborn lambs in fixing a hole in the diaphragm that separates the lungs from other organs.
The experiments involved seven fetal lambs and their mothers, and produced five surviving babies.
Fauza presented his research Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics' annual conference in Washington.
Could fix heart valves?
Fauza said he has begun trying to use cells from amniotic fluid to treat spinal cord defects or injuries. "It's ongoing," he said. "But that's all I can tell you, because I haven't even submitted it for presentation yet."
Other defects that might be reparable using amniotic cells include faulty heart valves, cleft lip, and missing pieces of esophagus, bone, limb, face and possibly bowel, he said.
Stem cells have yet to be assigned to a specific bodily function. Doctors, using chemicals and other methods, can coax them to grow into various organs.
Stem cell research has drawn protests from anti-abortion activists who object to harvesting the cells from fetuses, which are then discarded.
That prompted President Bush in 2001 to limit federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to existing cell lines. Researchers say the supply of cells in existing lines is inadequate.
We are being presented with a CHOICE......
Good catch! Another point to be aware of: amniotic cells are being designated as "fetal" stem cells.
BTTT! Everyone needs to know about this!
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