Amniotic epithelial cells
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Some stem cells extracted from the placenta are called amniotic epithelial cells. These cells may become useful in fighting diseases and disorders of the nervous system while avoiding the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells.
In harvesting embryonic stem cells, a human embryo is destroyed. Some strongly pro-life individuals associate this act with abortion and consider it immoral. As the placenta is commonly discarded after birth, the ability to harvest stem cells from these non-controversial sources may come to represent a major innovation in stem cell research.
[edit] Sources
- News article on the topic: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05217/549236.stm
- US Government info about a related clinical trial: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00344708
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