New Amniotic Stem Cell Source Found in Vaginal Fluid
Revolutionary Discovery Offers Safer, More Accessible Regenerative Medicine Potential
Researchers have identified a groundbreaking method for collecting amniotic fluid stem cells, bypassing invasive procedures and tapping into a readily available resource from vaginal births.
Safer Collection Method Unveiled
Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have pioneered a technique to safely gather amniotic fluid stem cells from vaginal fluid post-childbirth. This development promises a less risky alternative to traditional methods like amniocentesis.
These cells can then be cultivated into functional heart cells, offering new avenues for treating congenital heart defects. According to study senior author Jeffrey Jacot, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and bioengineering, “These results allow for an expanded and readily available source of amniotic stem cells beyond traditional collection through amniocentesis.”
Potential for Pediatric Heart Repair
The study, published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, focused on the potential of these cells for regenerative medicine. Amniotic fluid, crucial for fetal development, contains various cells originating from the fetus and membranes.
Historically, amniocentesis, often performed in the second trimester, was used for genetic anomaly detection but limited stem cell access. This new research explored harvesting amniotic fluid during full-term vaginal deliveries to obtain stem cells for repairing fetal genetic defects, particularly cardiac issues.
Successful Isolation and Reprogramming
The research team successfully collected samples from four vaginal deliveries. Three of the infants had been diagnosed prenatally with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The researchers then reprogrammed the isolated amniotic stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells and differentiated them into working cardiomyocytes.
“These findings suggest that amniotic fluid collected from vaginal births is a readily available source of patient-specific stem cells for banking, in vitro disease modeling, and regenerative medicine applications.”
—Jeffrey Jacot, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Bioengineering
Current treatments for some infant heart defects can involve multiple surgeries. The potential of stem cells derived from amniotic fluid to generate heart tissue in a lab could lead to reconstructed hearts with more typical structures, reducing the need for extensive surgical intervention. “We think you can reconstruct a heart to a more typical structure if you have functional heart tissue you can put into it,” Jacot explained.
The use of patient-specific stem cells in regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing field. For example, advancements in cardiac cell therapy are showing promise, with some clinical trials aiming to improve heart function after heart attacks using stem cells, showing significant improvements in ejection fraction (the percentage of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each contraction) in some patient groups (New England Journal of Medicine, 2023).
