Umbilical cord yields noncontroversial source.

• Position: Stem Cells

The cushioning material or matrix within the umbilical cord known as Wharton's jelly is a rich and readily available source of primitive stem cells, according to findings by a research team at Kansas State University, Manhattan. Animal and human umbilical cord matrix (UCM) cells exhibit the telltale characteristics of all stem cells, namely, the capacity to salt-renew and to differentiate into multiple cell types.

The cells--called cord matrix stem cells to distinguish them from cord blood cells--can be obtained in a noninvasive manner from an abundant source of tissue that is typically discarded. "Umbilical cord matrix cells could provide the scientific and medical research community with a noncontroversial and easily attainable source of stem cells for developing treatments for Parkinson's disease, stroke, spinal cord injuries, cancers, and other conditions," suggest Mark Weiss and Deryl Troyer of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Among the findings: Wharton's jelly cells from pigs were propagated in the lab for more than a year without losing potency; they can be stored cryogenically; and engineered to express foreign proteins. The cells exhibit telomerase activity, a key indicator of stem cells, and they can be induced to form nerve cells, both neurons and glia, that produce a range of nerve-cell-specific traits. Neurons are the nervous system cells that transmit signals; glial cells support the neurons. On the basis of the encouraging results with animal tissue, the team broadened its investigations to human umbilical cord matrix cells with similar findings--they differentiate into neurons, too.

Most of the promise of developing embryonic stem cell-based...