He said the cells may be a useful source for generating disease-specific stem cell lines for studying the differentiation process to determine what goes wrong in genetic diseases.

"These stem cells allow for studying the effects of mutations causing human genetic diseases on specific cell differentiation processes," he said.

Other potential advantages of the cells are that they can be grown in large quantities and are readily available during gestation and at the time of birth. "Whether these cells are as versatile as embryonic stem cells remains to be determined," said Atala, "but the current finding is certainly encouraging."

Atala stopped short of calling the cells pluripotent, which means the ability to form many cell types. He said while the cells meet some of the characteristics of pluripotency, such as versatility, they do not form tumors when implanted in animals, which is also considered a characteristic. The fact that the amnion cells are less likely to form tumors may be one advantage that they have over embryonic stem cells in their potential for clinical use.

Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center