Update On Amniotic Stem Cell Work
I've previously mentioned tissue engineering for the unborn or very young based on the use of stem cells from the amniotic fluid. Here is an update from the Boston Globe: "Fauza's work focuses on the trachea and the diaphragm because the structures needed to fix them are relatively simple. If all goes well, he said, he can imagine fixing birth defects that affect the intestines, the bladder, and blood vessels in the heart. He is trying to coax the amniotic fluid cells to make the type of neurons that could help fix spinal cord defects in patients with spina bifida." That progress is being made here should provide greater incentive to find - or create - viable, easily gathered sources of multipotent stem cells for those of us who have left our amniotic fluid far behind.