Scientists discover new stem cells source

New York -- Scientists in the US claim to have discovered a new source of stem cells in the amniotic fluid surrounding babies in the womb.

According to researchers, this will provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for engineered organs, reported the online edition of USA Today.

Stem cells are the elementary cells that can develop into numerous types of cells in the human body. They can be used to form cells that replace those failing because of disease, accident or age.

Anthony Atala and colleagues at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine discovered a small number of stem cells in amniotic fluid - estimated at 1 percent - that can give rise to many of the specialised cell types found in the human body.

The researchers named it as amniotic fluid-derived stem (AFS) cells and have used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory.

The first report showing the isolation of broad potential stem cells from the amniotic fluid that surrounds developing embryos was published Sunday in journal Nature Biotechnology.

"It took this long to verify that we had a true stem cell," said Atala, who began the work seven years ago.

"These cells are capable of extensive self-renewal, a defining property of stem cells. They also can be used to produce a broad range of cells that may be valuable for therapy."

Most versatile stem cells are found in embryos. But harvesting stem cells from embryos has been controversial as its use intrinsically involves destruction of the embryo.

To steer clear of such ethical issues, scientists and biotech companies have been exploring and developing other stem cell sources - leading to the discovery, among others, of stem cells in cord blood.