Stem cells derived from human amniotic fluid appear to offer many of the benefits of embryonic stem cells -- including the ability to grow into brain, muscle, bone and other tissues -- according to a study published in the Jan. 7 online edition on the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Washington Post reports.
For the study, researchers from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University and Children's Hospital Boston found that amniotic cells in the laboratory can grow into all of the major types of cells, dividing at the rate of once every 36 hours. Researchers coaxed amniotic fluid stem cells to develop into brain cells and injected them into the skulls of mice with diseased brains. The stem cells replaced the diseased areas and appeared to create new connections with surrounding healthy neurons, the researchers reported. Researchers also coaxed amniotic fluid stem cells to become bone cells and implanted them in a mouse. The study found the stem cells calcified and turned into dense, healthy bone. The researchers also coaxed amniotic fluid stem cells to develop into muscle, fat, blood vessel and liver cells. Stem cells extracted from amniotic fluid can be isolated starting at 10 weeks' gestation from fluid taken during tests performed to identify birth defects, according to the study. The stem cells, even after more than two years in the laboratory, did not show signs of aging or of having the potential to grow into tumors, the study found. Amniotic stem cells can be frozen for later use, the Post reports.