Human amniotic epithelial cells for application in transplant research
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Isolation of human amniotic epithelial cells from placenta, for application in NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation.
IRAS ID
315812
Contact name
William Scott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Transplant waiting lists continue to grow while we transplant organs from older and less fit donors. These organs are often damaged and do less well in recipients. Our research group wants to increase and improve organs available for transplant through repairing the damage. The repaired organs could then last longer and perform better in recipients. Previous work from our group showed introducing a cellular therapy to a kidney lowered markers which show how ‘damaged’ a kidney is.
Cells from the amnion membrane of the placenta are known to have properties of stem cells. Stem cells provide new cells for the body as it grows, and replace specialised cells that are damaged or lost. They have two unique properties that enable them to do this: They can divide over and over again to produce new cells. Furthermore, as a stem cell divides, they can change into the other types of cell that make up the body. This means stem cells can be used to treat a wide variety of illnesses.
The amnion membrane of the placenta is an ideal source for stem cells, the placenta can be collected after delivery of a baby and is usually disposed of. From each placenta we can separate large numbers of the cells. The placenta is then returned to the delivery unit for disposal according to the wishes of the patient.
We then store the amnion cells at the university until we use them. The cells may be used in bench top experiments to help us find out how the cells have a positive effect on the organs. We also introduce the cells to organs to see how the organs are effected.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NE/0238
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion