New Finding of Stem Cells in Amniotic Fluid

A report published in the journal Nature Biotechnology revealed that stem cells have been found in the amniotic fluid which surrounds babies in the womb.  These stem cells are very promising since they have successfully been transformed into bone, heart muscle, blood vessels, fat, nerve and liver tissues according to the study.  Researchers are also encouraged by the fact that the stem cells found in amniotic fluid do not seem to form tumours when implanted as is the case with embryonic stem cells.  Another obvious advantage is that this research does not raise the same ethical and moral concerns as research using embryonic stem cells which destroys the living human embryo.
           
To date, the stem cells in amniotic fluid have been obtained from the fluid left over from amniocentesis tests which were given to pregnant women to screen for disabilities.  This process has the potential of being ethically charged since amniocentesis increases a woman’s risk of miscarriage and fetal testing is often used to identify babies with disabilities so that they can be eliminated by abortion.  We recognize the tremendous potential of using stem cells found in amniotic fluid and hope that efforts will be made to ensure that it is obtained using ethical
means.

This article first appeared in the January 18,  2007 edition of LifeCanada’s E-Newsflash.