A TOP Australian Catholic bioethicist has welcomed the discovery of a new source of stem cells that could lead to hundreds of unborn babies in Australia being saved each year.
Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Harvard Medical School, both in the US, have used stem cells derived from amniotic fluid, which surrounds a baby in the womb, to create muscle, bone, fat, blood, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory.
The study and its results were published in the January 7 edition of British stem cell journal Nature Biotechnology.
Queensland Bioethics Centre director Ray Campbell said it meant scientists had discovered yet another source of stem cells that had potential similar to embryonic stem cells but without the disadvantages associated with using embryonic stem cells.
“They can be obtained ethically and it doesn’t involve the destruction of the embryo nor do they have the disadvantage of forming tumours, which is what has happened in experiments using embryonic stem cells,” he said.
“We welcome all breakthroughs which have that potential benefit and which are in themselves quite ethical.”
Richard Doerflinger, who is deputy director of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said various studies had shown that the placenta, cord blood, the umbilical cord itself and other by-products of birth “may all contain very versatile stem cells, with many of the advantages of embryonic stem cells without the practical disadvantages or moral problems”.
