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Fetal marrow found to be highly effective in transplants Copyright =A9 1997 Nando.net Copyright =A9 1997 The Associated Press=20 WASHINGTON (May 3, 1997 8:20 p.m. EDT) -- Success in treating sickle cell anemia, leukemia and even AIDS could be greatly improved if bone marrow from fetuses rather than adults is used in transplants, according to researchers at Georgetown University. "After almost 20 years dealing with all types of transplantation ... we have a good, optimistic feeling that this human fetal tissue ... in some cases ... can be usable for transplantation," said Maria Michejda, one of the researchers who discussed their work at a pediatric conference Saturday. Using fetuses from miscarriages, the researchers extracted bone marrow and transplanted it into baboons, Michejda said. They found that fetal bone marrow was 23 times more effective than adult marrow and eight times better than umbilical cord blood. But Michejda did note that such a practice is inherently controversial in a society with contrasting -- and often combative -- views on the nature of the fetus. "Now the question is, who will become the source?" Michejda said. "It is for many from a bioethical point of view not acceptable." Another ethical problem is what Michejda calls the potential for "fetal farming," when a woman gets pregnant so she could sell the fetus for its marrow. "When women conceive and abort at the optimal time to get the tissue, this is a very dangerous situation," she said. Similar ethical questions have swirled around other uses of fetal tissue -- including using brain tissue for experimental treatment of such things as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. President Clinton, early in his administration, lifted a ban on federal funding of research into medical uses of fetal tissue from induced= abortions. Michejda said her study only relied on women whose fetuses miscarried in the second trimester of pregnancy and agreed to participate in the experiment. No voluntarily aborted fetuses were used, she said. "The fact is ... miscarriages can provide enough cells for transplantation if we would collect them effectively and store them in banking," she said. "That's my big life goal." Another advantage to using miscarried fetuses was the catharsis it gave some women. "Many women who want the pregnancy and who are losing it ... (donating its marrow) helps psychologically," Michejda said. Using the miscarried fetuses, researchers would extract the longer bones -- such as leg or pelvic -- and break them into small fragments. When the marrow was isolated, it would be tested for any genetic problems or diseases and then stored at 100 degrees below zero Celsius until transplantation. The fetal marrow works so well because of its outstanding stem cells, Michejda said. These primitive cells have the most potential for self-renewal, boast a high proliferation rate and are less likely to be rejected when transplanted to another person. Umbilical cord blood and adult bone marrow have far fewer stem cells then fetuses do and are far more sophisticated in battling foreign objects they encounter, making the risk of transplant rejection high, Michejda said. But because fetal marrow is so immature, it has not yet learned how to fight off foreign objects. This non-reactive quality makes fetal marrow a prime candidate for transplants, she said. The results show great potential in fighting such diseases as sickle cell, breast cancer and even AIDS because the stem cells can pick up where the ailing cells have left off, said Michejda. -- By JENNIFER ROTHACKER, the Associated Press.=20 Margaret Tuchman (55yrs, Dx 1980)- NJ-08540 [log in to unmask]