Amniotic stem cells

Amniotic stem cells are multipotent stem cells of mesenchymal origin extracted from amniotic fluid

Amniotic stem cells are able to differentiate into various tissue type such as skin, cartilage, cardiac tissue, nerves, muscle, and bone, and may have potential future medical applications.

All over the world, universities and research institutes are studying amniotic fluid to discover all the qualities of amniotic stem cells, and scientist such as Anthony Atala, Paolo De Coppi and Giuseppe Simoni  have discovered important results.

Ethical aspect

From an ethical point of view, stem cells from amniotic fluid provides a noncontroversial alternative to embryonic stem cells because they are harvested without destroying embryos. For example, the Vatican newspaper "Osservatore Romano", the newspaper of the Holy See has even called amniotic stem cells "the future of medicine" .

Amniotic stem cells banks

Thanks to recent studies , supported in part by Lombardy italian region (Italy) leader Roberto Formigoni, it is possible to bank stem cells derived from amniotic fluid in private stem cells banks .

In 2009, the first US amniotic stem cell bank was opened in Medford, MA, by Biocell Center, an international company specializing in the cryopreservation and private banking of amniotic fluid stem cells.

(source:wikipedia)