Amnion-Derived Multipotent Progenitor Cells

 

What are Amnion-Derived Multipotent Progenitor Cells?

The amnion is the thin, transparent placental sac that surrounds and protects the baby in the mother’s womb. Unlike other cells of the placenta, the cells present in the amnion are formed very early in embryonic development from the same embryonic cell layer that later goes on to form the fetus. After full-term delivery of the baby, the amnion layer of the placenta is recovered and the amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells are isolated.

These amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells have strikingly similar characteristics to embryonic stem cells, yet possess important characteristics that distinguish them from embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

Scientific studies using placentas from full-term pregnancies reveal that amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells retain many of the telltale cell surface markers that define embryonic stem cells. In addition, they express Oct-4 and nanog, two genes that are required for self-renewal and pluripotency, which is the ability to develop into any type of cell. However, despite their remarkable similarities to embryonic stem cells and many adult stem cell lines, amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells do not grow and multiply indefinitely, and thus are not considered immortal. Unlike other immortal stem cells and cell lines, this characteristic substantially reduces the risk of transplanted amnion-derived cells forming spontaneous tumors after transplantation.

 

Advantages of Amnion-Derived Multipotent Progenitor Cells

There are several distinct advantages of amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells that set them apart from other stem cells. For example:

Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells are readily available: In the United States alone, there are more than 4 million live births each year. From each discarded placenta, about 300 million cells can be isolated. That is in stark contrast to the 100 or less embryonic stem cells that are normally harvested from a single embryo.

Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells are not immortal and do not form tumors: A concern with the use of immortal cells is that, once transplanted, they have the potential to replicate uncontrollably in the patient to form tumors. Preliminary experiments suggest that amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells do not form tumors when transplanted into humans.

Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells are not encumbered with ethical issues: Amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells are recovered at full-term delivery of the baby and do not require the destruction of an embryo. There have been no ethical, legal or moral issues surrounding their use.