CLARIFYING THE TERMS OF THE ARGUMENT:

Amniotic fluid holds stem cells full of potential, not controversy (Karen Kaplan, 1/08/07, Los Angeles Times)

Researchers have found stem cells in human amniotic fluid that appear to have many of the key benefits of embryonic stem cells while avoiding their knottiest ethical, medical and logistical drawbacks, according to a study published Sunday.

The stem cells -- easy to harvest from the fluid left over from amniocentesis tests given to pregnant women -- were able to transform into new bone, heart muscle, blood vessels, fat, nerve and liver tissues, the study said.

"So far, we've been successful with every cell type we've attempted to produce from these stem cells," said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., and senior author of the report published online by the journal Nature Biotechnology.

The finding points to a promising avenue of research that sidesteps the hurdles facing embryonic stem-cell research, which has been stymied by moral objections to the destruction of embryos that occurs when cells are harvested.

Most of the work involving human embryonic stem cells is ineligible for the more than $25 billion the federal government spends on research each year. But amniotic-fluid stem-cell studies are already being funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The study also suggests another advantage: Unlike embryonic cells, which can form tumors when implanted in lab animals, amniotic-fluid stem cells do not appear to do so.

Which leaves killing humans as the only reason left to use embryonic cells.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 8, 2007 8:28 AM