Previous president George W. Bush argued embryonic stem cell research "would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others. . . . It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect."

Overlooked in the debate is the potential that afterbirth may be a better source of stem cells than pre-birth human life.

Here's some of the research that isn't making the national news. All are direct quotes.

Taiwanese research team finds new source of stem cells in placenta

(LifeSite.net) The two possible sources of stem cells, "adult" or post-natal stem cells and those derived from living embryos, have caused a conflict in the scientific community, setting ethics against hoped-for scientific advancement.

Now a group of Taiwanese researchers has isolated stem cells from human placenta tissue and has found that their flexibility may be the equal of embryonic cells. The scientists, from National Health Research Institutes and Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, have isolated stem cells from placentas left after full term pregnancy and offer them as a solution to the ethical impasse.

The researchers have developed bone marrow and other cells from the stem cells extracted from the placenta and say that there may be future applications for brain damage or bone fractures.

Pitt experts say placental cells offer palatable alternative

(Pittsburg Post-Gazette) University of Pittsburgh researchers have discovered that one type of cell in the human placenta has characteristics that are strikingly similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to regenerate a wide variety of tissues.

The cells, called amniotic epithelial cells, potentially could be used to produce new liver cells to treat liver failure, or new pancreatic islet cells to cure diabetes or new neurons to treat Parkinson's disease.

Not only do amniotic epithelial cells lack the controversy of embryonic stem cells, but they also do not generate the tumors associated with embryonic stem cells, he said. So it may be possible in some cases to simply transplant the amniotic cells to a patient, rather than to first grow the desired specialized cells in the laboratory.

With about 4 million births a year, however, it should be possible to find donor placentas with tissue types compatible to any recipient, Strom said.

New Jersey company gathers stem cells from placentas

(Reuters) A New Jersey company has announced that it can harvest stem cells from a controversy-free source: the human placenta.

Placenta-derived cells have the same cell-surface molecules as other stem cells used in research, the company's chief scientific officer, Dr. Robert J. Hariri, told Reuters Health.

A new site for embryonic blood development: the placenta

(Children's Hospital Boston) Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report a surprising finding about embryonic development: the blood system begins to form not only in the embryo itself, but also in the placenta, the organ that nurtures the baby in utero.

Meticulous experiments in mice revealed that the placenta harbors a large supply of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells. These cells, which appear very early in development, are able to generate more blood stem cells and can give rise to a complete blood system when transplanted into an adult.

Blood stem cells are used in treating blood cancers like leukemia and other blood diseases, and in patients receiving transplants,

"This research reveals a new organ for blood development," Orkin says. "It is surprising that this role for the placenta has been overlooked for so many years."

© 2006, 2009 James N. Watkins



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