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Company says stem cells extracted from placenta are usable in research New York Times Thursday, April 12, 2001 TRENTON, N.J. -- A biotech company said Wednesday it had developed a method to extract a novel kind of stem cell from the placenta and that the cells were the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells, which can transform into every tissue of the adult body. "This will make obsolete the need to use human fetuses or blastocysts as sources of stem cells," said John Haines, chief executive of the Anthrogenesis Corp. of Cedar Knolls, N.J. The claim comes as abortion-rights opponents are encouraging the Bush administration to bar federal financing for research on embryonic cells, which now are derived either from very early human embryos, known as blastocysts, or from fetal tissue. These critics seem unlikely to object to research on cells from placentas. But the articles describing the claim haven't yet been accepted for publication, an important step in the validation of scientific claims. Biologists say embryonic cells hold great promise for restoring damaged tissues, particularly in otherwise intractable diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other degenerative diseases. Embryonic stem cells differ from adult stem cells that are found in the adult tissues they maintain. This week, a different group of researchers said they isolated adult stem cells from fat tissue. But adult stem cells, also a promising vehicle for repairing damaged tissues, differ in many ways from embryonic stem cells. Biologists are eager to explore both. If further tests should prove the placental cells are a satisfactory substitute for embryonic stem cells that researchers are studying, the company's finding could influence the political debate. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has opposed government financing of research on both human embryonic stem cells, taken from blastocysts, and embryonic germ cells, derived from fetuses that were aborted for the health of the mother. Richard Doerflinger, a policy official at the bishops' conference, said he saw no ethical problem in using cells derived from the placenta of live births. http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/news_16.html ********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn