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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
New Stem Cell Source May be Available Quickly Enough
to Help Even Senior Citizens
Scientist discover stem cells readily available in
large quantities
January 7, 2007 Senior citizens, many who see the
great potential in stem cell research, do not get too excited about a
miracle treatment that seems too distant to ever be of value to them.
But, that may change quickly with the discovery announced today of a new
source of stems cells, already used to create muscle, bone, fat, blood
vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory. This source is easily
obtainable and can be grown in large quantities, say scientists.
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Health & Medicine |
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The first report showing the isolation of broad
potential stem cells from the amniotic fluid that surrounds developing
embryos was published today in 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 announced the breakthrough with colleagues
from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical
School.
"It has been known for decades that both the
placenta and amniotic fluid contain multiple progenitor cell types from
the developing embryo, including fat, bone, and muscle," said Atala. "We
asked the question, 'Is there a possibility that within this cell
population we can capture true stem cells?' The answer is yes."
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.
"It took this long to verify that we had a true
stem cell," said Atala, who began the work seven years ago. "These cells
are capable of extensive self-renewal, a defining property of stem
cells. They also can be used to produce a broad range of cells that may
be valuable for therapy."
An advantage of the AFS cells for potential medical
applications is their ready availability. The report describes how the
cells were harvested from backup amniotic fluid specimens obtained for
amniocentesis, a procedure that examines cells in this fluid for
prenatal diagnosis of certain genetic disorders. Similar stem cells were
isolated from "afterbirth," the placenta and other membranes that are
expelled after delivery.
Atala said a bank with 100,000 specimens
theoretically could supply 99 percent of the U.S. population with
perfect genetic matches for transplantation. There are more than 4
million live births each year in the United States.
In addition to being easily obtainable, the AFS
cells can be grown in large quantities because they typically double
every 36 hours. They also do not require guidance from other cells
(termed "feeders") and they do not produce tumors, which can occur with
certain other types of stem cells. The scientists noted that specialized
cells generated from the AFS cells included all three classes of cells
found in the developing embryo - termed ectoderm, mesoderm, and
endoderm. In their high degree of flexibility and growth potential, the
AFS cells resemble human embryonic stem cells, which are believed
capable of generating every type of adult cell.
"The full range of cells that AFS cells can give
rise to remains to be determined," said Atala. "So far, we've been
successful with every cell type we've attempted to produce from these
stem cells. The AFS cells can also produce mature cells that meet tests
of function, which suggests their therapeutic value."
The functional tests included implanting neural
cells created from AFS cells into mice with a degenerative brain
disease. The cells grew and "re-populated" the diseased areas. In
addition, bone cells produced from the stem cells were successfully used
to grow bony tissue in mice, and liver cells were able to secrete urea,
which the liver produces from ammonia.
The potential to generate a broad range of mature
cell types is why many scientists believe stem cells have promise to
replace damaged cells and tissue in conditions such as spinal cord
injuries, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
Editor's Notes:
Co-researchers were Paolo De Coppi, M.D., Georg
Bartsch Jr., M.D., M. Minhaj Siddiqui, M.D., Tao Xu, Ph.D., Cesar C.
Santos, M.D., Laura Perin, Ph.D., James J. Yoo, M.D., Ph.D., Mark E.
Furth, Ph.D., and Shay Soker, Ph.D., all with Wake Forest University,
and Gustavo Mostoslavsky, Ph.D., Evan Y. Snyder M.D., and Angιline C.
Serre, all with Harvard Medical School.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an
academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and
Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university's
School of Medicine. Wake Forest University School of Medicine ranks 35th
in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150
members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in
America.
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