New Source of Stem Cells: Amniotic Fluid

Scientific American ^ | January 07, 2007 | Nikhil Swaminathan

[neverdem]

Scientists isolate and culture stem cells from placenta with characteristics of both embryonic and adult stem cells

After seven years of toiling, scientists at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Harvard School of Medicine report they have isolated stem cells from a new source: amniotic fluid. The researchers not only succeeded in separating the progenitor cells from the many cells residing in the watery fluid in the placenta surrounding an embryo, but were also able to coax the cells to differentiate into muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, liver and nerve cells.

According to lead author Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest's Institute of Regenerative Medicine, 99 percent of the U.S., population could conceivably find genetic matches for tissue regeneration or engineered organs from just 100,000 amniotic fluid samples. In its research, the team isolated stem cells via amniocentesis--a common procedure performed about 16 weeks into pregnancy during which amniotic fluid is drawn to test for genetic disorders in a fetus--as well as from the placenta after birth. The researchers write in their paper--published in this week's Nature Biotechnology--that stem cells make up 1 percent of all the cells in amniotic fluid samples.

"It's been known for decades that there are cells in amniotic fluid," Atala says. "The embryo is constantly shedding all these cells, as it's developing, to the amniotic fluid. The baby's actually breathing in, swallowing the fluid, and it's all coming out through all the pores and gets trapped in the placenta."

After isolating the cells, Atala and his team introduced growth factors to different cell lines in an attempt to assess their potency. They were able to get the amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells, to transform into many different types of tissue found in fat, blood vessels, liver, muscles and bone as well as the central nervous system. This range comprises all three embryonic germ layers: the mesoderm, the progenitor of bone, muscle and connective tissue; the endoderm, which develops into digestive organs as well as the lungs; and ectoderm, which becomes nerves, skin and the brain. In addition to laboratory experiments, the team studied AFS cells in mouse models, grafting neural stem cells into the brains of mutant mice with disrupted neural development and growing bone tissue in another set of immunodeficient mice.

"It adds to the list of pluripotent stem cells that have already been identified in other sources and tissues," says Willem Fibbe, an immunohematologist at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. "If these cells have this potential, what would be the specific reason to prefer amniotic fluid-derived cells over the umbilical-cord-derived cells, over the [fat-] tissue-derived cells and the bone-marrow-derived cells?"

Atala says that compared with other types of pluripotent stem cells--save embryonic stem cells--AFS cells are "truly pluripotent" and that their major advantage is that after two weeks of culturing they expand quickly, doubling every 36 hours so that they are in large supply. When compared with embryonic stem cells, AFS cells have two main advantages: First, no embryo needs to be harmed in harvesting the cells, sidestepping a major, hot-button political issue. Also, as Atala points out, AFS cells will not form tumor cells, as the considerably more raw embryo-derived cells can.

"They're not as early and they're not as wild," he explains. "The cells are further along the line of development--and you don't see fetuses developing tumors--so these cells are much more controlled." Atala adds that the AFS cells lie between embryonic and adult stem cells in that the former expand quickly, but can develop into tumors, whereas the latter will not become cancerous, but grow exceedingly slowly.

"The new paper by Atala's group is indeed a breakthrough in demonstrating such a high potential for therapy of a specific set of stem cells in amniotic fluid," observes Markus Hengstschläger, a geneticist at the University of Vienna who is part of the group that, in 2003, first identified the presence of stem cells in amniotic fluid. "It is always a very important question to determine the real potential of such cells."

Going forward, Atala plans to study therapeutic uses for the AFS cells as well as attempt to coax them to differentiate into the tissue found in the heart, pancreas and kidneys. "We still don't know what the benefits are of all these cells--all cells have their strengths," Atala says, referring to all different stem cell types. "We need to keep studying all these different cell types to see what works best for each application at the end."

[neverdem]

Image: IMAGE COURTESY OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER
STEM CELLS WITHIN: Scientists have discovered that stem cells derived from amniotic fluid are pluripotent, able to divide into many of the types of cells that make up the human body's tissues.
Isolation of amniotic stem cell lines with potential for therapy (abstract)

Stem cells capable of differentiating to multiple lineages may be valuable for therapy. We report the isolation of human and rodent amniotic fluid–derived stem (AFS) cells that express embryonic and adult stem cell markers. Undifferentiated AFS cells expand extensively without feeders, double in 36 h and are not tumorigenic. Lines maintained for over 250 population doublings retained long telomeres and a normal karyotype. AFS cells are broadly multipotent. Clonal human lines verified by retroviral marking were induced to differentiate into cell types representing each embryonic germ layer, including cells of adipogenic, osteogenic, myogenic, endothelial, neuronal and hepatic lineages. Examples of differentiated cells derived from human AFS cells and displaying specialized functions include neuronal lineage cells secreting the neurotransmitter L-glutamate or expressing G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels, hepatic lineage cells producing urea, and osteogenic lineage cells forming tissue-engineered bone.

Go to the link if you're interested in the references which are linked.

[neverdem]

SC Ping

[Arm_Bears]

NARAL is deeply saddened.

[Coleus]

Adult stem-cell breakthroughs

Amniotic fluid used successfully instead of stem cells

Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Provide Another ESCR Alternative

Heart Valves Grown From Womb Fluid Cells

The Stem Cell Cover-Up By Michael Fumento

Report: Amniotic Fluid Yields Stem Cells
Researchers say amniotic fluid yields stem cells
Amniotic fluid a promising stem cell source

[right-wingin_It]

The miscarriage rate for amniocentesis is 0.25-0.5% (1 in 200), so it will be interesting to see what position Catholic clergy take. As a Catholic, in my understanding, I suspect they would NOT be in favor of cells derived from an amniocenteses. However, I don't see any problems if the AFS cells are derived from a placenta after-birth, which was the other method of obtaining these cells.

So that would be a positive. However, I don't think this new AFS cell research would satisfy the appetite out there for the use embryonic stem cells (just as adult stem cell research has not). Scientifically, there are difference between all three types of stem cells (adult, embryonic, and amniotic fluid). The AF have properties of both adult and embryonic stem cells, but are closer to embryonic.

So the main thing is not to let the media spin anything...closed down the debate...etc. So us pro-lifers still got to call our representatives and tell 'em to vote NO on HR 3!

[SuziQ]

I was always against amniocentesis because folks used it for 'search and destroy' missions. I had my last baby at age 37, and NJ required docs to inform women my age that there was a greater danger of birth defects like Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida. I told my doctor that I wasn't interested in an amnio because I had no interest in killing my baby if it had any birth defects.

I asked him if there were anything he'd need to know prior to the baby's birth, and he said that he would take special precautions during delivery. I asked him if there were any other way to determine if the baby had that condition, and he said that an x-ray would do that, so that's what we did. The baby was fine, and I knew he wouldn't be insistent because he was pro-life.

[gridlock]

I'm of two minds about this. I will have to educate myself.

[neverdem]

I will have to educate myself.

Dorland's Medical Dictionary

I saved it to my favorites.

[NoCurrentFreeperByThatName]

ping

[neverdem]

Full fat milk makes you thinner - Swedish study

Who paid for that study? Source affects outcome

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[Salvation]

I heard this story today. Wow -- it will surely derail the stem cell votes in Congress. At least, postpone them.

[neverdem]

I heard this story today. Wow -- it will surely derail the stem cell votes in Congress. At least, postpone them.

I'm still somewhat awestruck by Dr. Atala's claim of no teratomas, and that banking 100,000 samples of amniotic fluid will provide identical tissue matches for 99 percent of our population needing transplants. Politically, I'd like to see Bush go on the offense.

[PGalt]

Great news! BTTT!

[Mrs. Don-o]

I tend to agree with the most conservative of the ethicists, like Leon Kass (Jewish), Paul Ramsey (Methodist), and William E. May (Catholic), that it is unethical to subject a baby to risk unless it is for the benefit of the baby himself.

Thus, amniocentesis to detect abnormalities which would motivate an abortion: NO

Amniocentesis to benefit medical research "in general": NO

Amniocentesis to detect abnormalities which would motivate more specialized care during pregnancy and delivery: YES

The concept of "banking" amnotic fluid whould be, maybe, a gray area. IF the purpose is to bank cells which would later benefit the baby himself in later life, as well as others, it would arguably be a YES; but IF there's a less-risky way of obtaining these cells, without anmiocentesis, e.g. by collecting fluids from the placenta and cord and other afterbirth tissues, then I think one might be morally obliged to wait until you can get the afterbirth cells, without risk to the baby.

I doubt that the Catholic Church will issue any binding statements on this, until the facts concerning risks and benefits are made sufficiently clear by the sceintific/medical authorities.

[hocndoc]

I bought the article, so FReepmail me with your email address if you want me to send the pdf. I may be slow, today - tons to do - but, I'll get it done by early in the AM.

The methods and results are very clear - and here's the conclusion from the article:
We conclude that the AFS cells are indeed broad-spectrum multipotent (that is, pluripotent) stem cells.

[hocndoc]

Pinging to post 15.

The cells are also found in the placenta - so can be harvested without risk to the baby.

[MHGinTN]

"Wow -- it will surely derail the stem cell votes in Congress. At least, postpone them." No, the congressional plan is not about protecting embryonic aged humans, it's about funding pets and the democrats now control the flow of legislation so it is ridiculous to believe democrats would slow their pets down from votes ... this will, however, make the President's case for vetoing stronger and that alone might make the democrats pause.

[hocndoc]

I wasn't clear - I've got the pdf of the study. I reviewed and quoted some of it at my blog
http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/2007/01/pluripotent-amnioticplacental-stem.html

[PGalt]

Thanks for the link & your work.

[maica]

Rush has just played Harry Reid asking the demfriendly media not to run such stories on the eve of a Congressional hearing that might be affected by such reporting.


Seriously, Harry Reid is recorded making that statement.