Another New Method of Stem Cell Development

Another New Method of Stem Cell Development

I blogged earlier this month (1/2/06) on the development of an animal-free stem cell culture medium by researchers at the University of Wisconsin. Now scientists in Australia have another method for solving the problem of virus contamination that exists with animal-derived “feeder layers” in the culture. (The 22 embryonic stem cell lines that are eligible for federal funding in the US have all been contaminated by mouse cells from the feeder layer, making them useless for any eventual therapeutic purpose.)

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a researcher at Price of Wales Hospital has developed a method to cultivate stem cells with matter grown from aborted fetuses; The Courier-Mail says the feeder layer is derived from human skin cells. It is unclear to me from the Morning Herald report if the fetal tissue was the source of the embryonic stem cell line or the feeder layer. Both articles are thin on scientific details, although the CM says that other scientists are waiting to see the data before they make judgments. It also quotes the lead researcher as saying that his new line had stable chromosomes, unlike the Wisconsin line.

Neither news article says how the results were publicized, and neither the Prince of Wales Hospital nor the University of New South Wales have releases on their websites yet, so I don’t know more.