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Thursday, April 12, 2001 N.J. firm claims a breakthrough in the extraction of stem cells By Linda A. Johnson ASSOCIATED PRESS TRENTON - A biotech company said yesterday that it has developed technology for extracting large quantities of stem cells from placentas, potentially offering a rich new source of tissue that could be used to treat a variety of diseases. Anthrogenesis Corp., of Cedar Knolls in Morris County, N.J., says its method could prove superior to current sources of stem cells, immature cells that develop a specific function as a fetus grows. In the laboratory, these can be manipulated into becoming a particular cell type. The company yesterday took the unusual step of announcing its scientific discoveries in a teleconference with reporters; they have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Company officials and outside experts agreed that much more research is needed. "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 paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder. In several months, it will begin studying potential treatments using stem cells from Anthrogenesis. But Heywood said it's unclear whether those will be the best type of stem cells for nerve disorders. Research on stem cells - some of which have the potential to become any type of tissue - is one of the hottest topics in medicine. Earlier this week, a team of researchers announced breakthroughs involving stem cells isolated from fat collected by liposuction. Currently, stem cells that are most useful for lab research and experimental treatments come from embryos - aborted fetuses or extra embryos created in test tubes for infertile couples. But taking fetal tissue raises ethical questions for many people. "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, president and chief executive officer. The placenta 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 it 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. Researchers now 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 and senior investigator at the Center for Advanced Studies in Leukemia in Los Angeles. "If their statements are correct, then I think it is terribly important." 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. That ability to become nearly any cell type is a key advantage. So-called adult stem cells, which are harvested from the bone marrow of adults and do not raise the ethical issues of the embryonic type, are much more limited. Meanwhile, Anthrogenesis officials said they are developing collaborations with academic and commercial researchers wanting to test those cells to stop or even reverse damage from neurodegenerative, immune and other disorders. Anthrogenesis has patents pending on its technology and plans to license the right to use the technology, as well as to sell stem cells it produces to other researchers. The National Institutes of Health has said therapies based on stem cells could revolutionize medicine, offering a renewable source of replacement cells to treat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, burns, heart disease, arthritis, and other illnesses. Because of that great potential, NIH is recommending that scientists continue research on all possible sources and uses of stem cells. http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/04/12/national/STEM12.htm ********** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn