Amniotic Cells Show Potential To Treat Disease
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A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle, and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.
The cells, shed by the developing fetus and easily retrieved during routine prenatal testing, are easier to maintain in laboratory dishes than embryonic stem cells — the highly versatile cells that come from destroyed human embryos and are at the center of a heated congressional debate that will resume this week.
