Friday 13, 2001
Placentas said to offer stem cells

TRENTON: A biotech company said on Wednesday it has developed
technology for extracting large quantities of stem cells from placentas,
offering a rich new source of tissue that could be used to treat a variety
of diseases.
Stem cells are immature cells that can be coaxed in the laboratory into
maturing into specific types of tissue, such as bone, cartilage and
muscle. Scientists believe stem cells may be used someday to repair
injuries and treat diseases.
Anthrogenesis Corp. of Cedar Knolls said its method could prove to be
a superior source of these cells.
Currently, stem cells used in medical research are taken from bone
marrow, the umbilical cords of newborn babies, aborted fetuses or
discarded test-tube embryos.
But umbilical cords contain only a small number of stem cells. Taking
stem cells from bone marrow requires a painful needle extraction, and the
donor must be very closely matched to the recipient to prevent rejection.
And the use of embryos and fetal tissue is extremely controversial.
``Our ability to harvest large quantities of stem cells from a
noncontroversial source can have a significant effect, propelling the
pace of research forward'' and reducing costs, said John Haines,
Anthrogenesis president and chief executive.
The placenta, an organ containing many blood vessels, connects the
umbilical cord of a fetus with the uterine wall, allowing nutrients to pass
from mother to baby. Normally it is discarded after birth.
Scientists at Anthrogenesis said they have developed technology to
remove all the blood from the placenta, then essentially keep the
placenta on life-support by placing it in nutrients under special
conditions for up to a few days. They then can extract stem cells from
the tissue in quantities roughly 10 times what could be taken from an
umbilical cord.
Researchers are ``having a hard time getting enough of those cells
without violating some federal regulation or offending someone,'' said
Dr. Robert Peter Gale, a bone marrow transplant expert at the Centre for
Advanced Studies in Leukemia in Los Angeles. ``If their statements are
correct, then I think it is terribly important.''
In addition, scientists believe that placental stem cells can develop into
a wider variety of tissue than stem cells from umbilical cords or bone
marrow. Placental stem cells are also unlikely to be rejected by the
recipient's immune system.
So far, Anthrogenesis researchers said, they have been able to coax
those stem cells to multiply and develop into nerve, blood, skin and
muscle cells. Now they are trying to make bone and cartilage.
Much more research is needed, however, according to company officials
and other experts.
``This is one of the three or four, out of 10 or 12 technologies (under
study), that I think are viable soon,'' said James A. Heywood, executive
director of the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, which
researches treatments for the paralysing neurodegenerative disorder.
In several months, the ALS foundation will begin studying potential
treatments using stem cells from Anthrogenesis.
On Tuesday, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles
and the University of Pittsburgh said they have isolated stem cells from
another potentially rich source: ordinary fat removed by liposuction.
The researchers then grew the cells into bone, cartilage, muscle and fat.
Scientist believe stem cells could revolutionise medicine, offering a
renewable source of replacement cells to treat Parkinson's and
Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injuries, burns, heart disease, arthritis
and other illnesses. (AP)

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/13hlth9.htm

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