"If we could develop efficient methods that would allow amnion-derived cells to differentiate into specific cell types, then placentas would no longer be relegated to the trash can,” said Stephen C. Strom, Ph.D., a senior author of the study. “Instead, we’d have a useful source of cells for transplantation and regenerative medicine."

Regarding the inability of the stem cells derived from the placenta to grow indefinitely, one investigator commented, "Perhaps it’s to their advantage that the amnion epithelial cells lack telomerase expression, because telomerase is associated with many cancers, and one of the main concerns about stem cell therapies is that transplanted stem cells would replicate in the recipient to form tumors."