The placenta is a very valuable human tissue, although the proper recycling of it is not placentophagy, but to isolate stem cells from its amnion layer, and store them for later regenerative purposes for the whole family. Human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECs) from the placenta are alternative replacements of human embryonic stem cells and have the potential to differentiate to all three germ layers in vitro. These cells are very close to those earlier and broadly multipotent amniotic fluid-derived stem cells, that made the big buzz lately on the web, published by De Coppi, Atala et al. in Nature Biotechnology. Here I would like to show, although I do not provide any warranty and can not give any guarantee, that isolating stem cells from the placenta is not more difficult than making a steak...

posted by David Pescovitz at 10:15:17 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments