Placentas Yield Bone, Nerve Cells

Yomiuri Shimbun 16th reported that Institute of Medical Science at Tokyo University had succeeded in culturing special placental cells into nerve and bone cells.

This research avoids the ethical criticism by utilizing placentas that previously would have been discarded instead of using embryonic stem cells extracted from fertilized eggs, and the cells can be transferred to anyone whose leukocyte form matches that of recipient. The result will be reported to Japanese regenerative medical society meeting in Kyoto on the 18th.

The team in a cell processing section discovered that mesenchymal stem cells also exist in placental villi, which supply oxygen and nutrition to a baby while carrying off carbon dioxide and metabolic by-products, and found out that

30 percent of the mesenchymal stem cells became nerve cells after cultivating with medicines to encourage the growth of placental mesenchymal stem cells into nerve cells. The team detected calcium from another group of cultivated mesenchymal stem cells, which indicated formation of bone cells.

This shimbun reported that this research might pave the way to treatment of bone cancer and Parkinson`s disease using placentas, and to `regenerative bank`, which provides cellular tissues for curing.

Young-Ee Lee yes202@donga.com