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

Amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.- Development of amniotic fluid :...

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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

Amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.- Development of amniotic fluid :...

 to discover all the qualities of amniotic stem cells, and scientists such as Anthony Atala

Anthony Atala

Anthony Atala, M.D., is the W.H. Boyce Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina...

, Paolo De Coppi http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june07/cell_01-08.htmlhttp://www.isscr.org/public/briefings/amniotic.htm and Giuseppe Simoni

Giuseppe Simoni

Giuseppe Simoni is an Italian biologist and scientist. He was born in Pavia, Italy in 1944, and obtained his degree in biology at the University of Milan, where he later became a professor of genetics and biology for thirteen years....

 http://www.biocellcenter.com/en/pubblicazioni_read.php?categoria=6&read=97http://www.smartbrief.com/news/bio/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=10998D4A-47C0-451B-B35A-754969D7EC5A©id=876B286F-19F6-4013-95AC-9744F69B7AD2&brief=bio&sb_code=rss&&campaign=rss have discovered important results.

Ethical aspect

From an ethical point of view, stem cells from amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.- Development of amniotic fluid :...

 provide 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

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 has even called amniotic stem cells "the future of medicine" http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican_newspaper_calls_new_stem_cell_source_future_of_medicine/.

However, many religions still vehemently fight against the use of stem cells because certain practices say that it is a form of “playing God”, regardless of where the cells are extracted from.

Amniotic stem cells banks

Thanks to recent studies http://www.stem-cells-news.com/1/2009/05/italy-stem-cells-from-amniotic-liquid-new-hopes/#more-375, supported in part by Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

 italian region (Italy) leader Roberto Formigoni

Roberto Formigoni

Roberto Formigoni is an Italian politician, and the current President of Lombardy Region, Italy.-Life and career:Graduated in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Milan, he studied political economy at the Sorbonne, in Paris....

, it is possible to bank stem cells derived from amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid

Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.- Development of amniotic fluid :...

 in private stem cells banks http://www.biocellcenter.com/en/services_research/stem_cells.

In 2009, the first US amniotic stem cell bank

Cell bank

A cell bank is a facility that stores cells of specific genetic lines for the purpose of future use in a product or medicinal needs. They often contain expansive amounts of base cell material that can be utilized for various projects...

 was opened in Medford, MA, by Biocell Center

Biocell Center

Biocell Center is an international company specializing in the cryopreservation and private banking of amniotic fluid stem cells. The company is headquartered in Italy with several international locations and is involved with numerous partnerships and research studies of amniotic fluid stem...

, an international company specializing in the cryopreservation and private banking of amniotic fluid stem cells.