Option to stem cells found

Pitt experts say placental cells offer palatable
alternative

By Byron Spice
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Friday, August 5, 2005

University of Pittsburgh  http://www.pitt.edu/  
researchers have discovered that one type of cell in the
human placenta has characteristics that are strikingly
similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to
regenerate a wide variety of tissues.

The cells, called amniotic epithelial cells, potentially
could be used to produce new liver cells to treat liver
failure, or new pancreatic islet cells to cure diabetes
or new neurons to treat Parkinson's disease.

Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are obtained only by
destroying human embryos, these cells can be extracted
from the same placentas that now are routinely discarded
after birth. They thus could be a non-controversial
alternative to embryonic stem cells.
http://stemcells.alphamedpress.org/

"We think it would be easier to get these to the clinic
than [embryonic stem] cells," said Stephen Strom, an
associate professor of pathology at the Pitt medical
school.

Not only do amniotic epithelial cells lack the
controversy of embryonic stem cells, but they also do not
generate the tumors associated with embryonic stem cells,
he said. So it may be possible in some cases to simply
transplant the amniotic cells to a patient, rather than
to first grow the desired specialized cells in the
laboratory.

Strom and Dr. Yoshio Miki, an instructor in the pathology
department, described their discovery in a paper
published online last night in Stem Cells Express; the
paper also will appear in an upcoming issue of the
journal Stem Cells.

Publication of the paper had been delayed while the
university sought patent protection for the discovery,
Strom noted. A local biotechnology company, Stemnion
Inc., has licensed the patent rights from Pitt with plans
to use the cells for treating cirrhosis and diabetes and
to spur wound healing.

In the meantime, a couple of Japanese research groups
have already confirmed several aspects of the Pitt
findings.

"This is an exciting report," said David Prentice, senior
fellow for life sciences at the conservative Family
Research Council. More and more reports are emerging
regarding stem cells derived from such sources as
amniotic fluid, bone marrow and nasal mucosa that have
much of the same flexibility as embryonic stem cells, but
that don't carry the danger of generating tumors, he
noted.

The announcement comes with embryonic stem cells once
again in the headlines. Last week, Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist, R-Tenn., broke with the Bush administration
and said he would support federal funding to create
additional embryonic stem cell lines. President Bush this
week reiterated his intent to veto any such an expansion
of federal stem cell research.

Alan Russell, director of Pitt's McGowan Institute for
Regenerative Medicine, said finding new sources of stem
cells will be vital to accelerating the pace of stem cell
research.

"The placenta and umbilical cord appear to be rich
sources for stem cells that have real potential to treat
disease," said Russell, who also is an adviser to
Stemnion. "Strom's discovery adds another piece to the
puzzle that will help patients in the future."

Amniotic epithelial cells make up the thin membrane known
as the amnion, or birth sac, which contains the fetus and
amniotic fluid. Among other functions, the amnion keeps
the developing baby from becoming permanently affixed
through wound healing to the mother's organs.

Doctors have recognized that the membrane was rich in
stem cells and have long used it as a sort of human
bandage to aid in healing, notably in eye surgery.

That's why Miki and Strom first studied amniotic
epithelial cells four years ago. Strom is interested in
developing sources of liver cells, called hepatocytes,
that could be used as an alternative to liver organ
transplantation for treating cirrhosis and liver failure.

Once Miki found that the amniotic cells indeed could be
used to produce hepatocyte-like cells, he began exploring
their other capabilities. That's when he found that they
were similar in almost every way to embryonic stem cells.

Just why the cells in this membrane should retain the
potential for generating almost any type of tissue in the
body is not clear, Strom said, and it may simply be a
consequence of when these cells are created during early
development.

Embryonic stem cells are found when the developing embryo
is still a free-floating ball of 40 to 150 cells. The
cells in the middle of this ball, which have yet to take
on any specialized functions, are the stem cells.

The amniotic epithelial cells are the first of the inner
cell mass to "differentiate," or acquire a specialized
function; they develop when the blastocyst prepares for
implantation in the uterus.

Only after implantation does the inner mass of stem cells
begin to differentiate, undergoing a major transformation
called gastrulation in which the cells divide into three
major classes of cells from which all other tissues are
derived. Because amniotic epithelial cells pre-date
gastrulation, Strom said, they retain the ability to form
any type of tissue.

Amniotic epithelial cells, unlike embryonic stem cells,
cannot live forever, Strom said, so therapies based on
them will depend on regularly harvesting cells from
discarded placentas.

Also, questions remain as to whether the replacement
tissues generated from amniotic epithelial cells will be
rejected by a recipient. The amniotic epithelial cells
don't have many of the cell antigens that can trigger
rejection, Strom said, but that seems to change as the
cells differentiate.

That would not pose any problem for liver cell
transplants, he noted, because the liver can tolerate
transplanted cells as long as they have a compatible
blood type. But it could be a problem for therapies such
as islet cell transplants to cure diabetes.

With about 4 million births a year, however, it should be
possible to find donor placentas with tissue types
compatible to any recipient, Strom said.

Or, some people may choose to follow Miki's example. His
wife, Hisae, is due to give birth any day now and he
plans to save the placenta, banking it for possible
future use by their child.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05217/549236.stm

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Don't wait for the MSM to report this - they don't seem
to be interested unless babies (embryos) can be
sacrificed.

Posted on 08/04/2005 9:27:46 PM PDT by pittsburgh gop guy

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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