Development of enhanced low serum culture strategies for human amniotic fluid stem cells

Abstract

[Excerpt] The role of stem cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is evolving rapidly, namely the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) due to their potentially immune privilege. These cells can be isolated from different sources such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord and more recently amniotic fluid. Although the amniotic fluid cells have been used for prenatal diagnosis since 1950s in a well established routine technique, little is known about the origin and properties of these cells. In this study, we aimed at developing a method of isolation and expansion of purified cultures of adult stem cells from amniotic fluid to be used as a tool for regenerative medicine. [...]