Amniotic stem cells
Amniotic fluid works on a number of levels to both protect and nourish developing embryos, though at the same time they also pose great potential in terms of stem cell line developments thanks to the fluid containing multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into a number of different specialized structures. As multipotent cells they have nearly the same flexibility in development capabilities as totipotent or omnipotent embryonic stem cells, however unlike embryonic stem cells amniotic stem cells can be harvested with no risk to a developing fetus – bypassing the ethical debate that has prevented many developments into highly flexible stem cell lines in the past.
The primary benefits of amniotic stem cells is that they have the potential to both expand and grow extensively with little feeder input (necessary to culture many other stem cell lines into mature, usable formats) and they are non tumorogenic, meaning that they are not prone to the potential other stem cells have of developing dangerous tumors if their growth is left unchecked over time. Additionally they intrinsically have the capabilities of differentiating into a number of specialized lines including osteogenic, adipogenic, endothelial, myogenic, neuronal and hepatic structures, effectively providing a viable solution base for many treatments down the line that are reliant upon flexible stem cell line developments.
For many communities around the world amniotic stem cells have been hailed as the “future of medicine”, with even the Vatican’s official newspaper the “Osservatore Romano” describing them as such due to their flexibility and potential for usage in a large number of medical fields without posing any risks to developing fetuses. Anmiotic stem cell banks are also being developed around the world at this time due to this high social acceptance rate, with the first ever amniotic stem cell bank being opened for both donors as well as personal storage and usage in the United States in Medford, MA a short time ago. This cell bank is open to all to contribute to and works with many universities and research institutes around the world in order to work towards future development goals.
Currently the actual application of amniotic stem cells to standard real-life situations is limited due to the relatively new nature of their research, however their status as a highly ethical way to collect and develop genetic building blocks for medical treatment means that their development is both quick and highly anticipated by both doctors and patients around the world.
Subscribe to the comments for this post