Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/amniotic-fluid-yields-new-type-of-stem-cell Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Stem cells drawn from amniotic fluid can be used to develop muscle, bone, nerve and other cells in the laboratory, researchers have found. Study author Dr. Anthony Atala explains. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. GWEN IFILL: Researchers at two leading universities are reporting new promise for stem cell research. Stem cells, which scientists believe can produce muscle, bone, fat, and other human blood and tissue, have been discovered in the amniotic fluid and placenta of pregnant women.The discovery could change the nature of the debate over stem cell research, or at least broaden the scope of that debate. Joining us to describe the findings, reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology, is the study's lead researcher, Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University.Welcome, Doctor. DR. ANTHONY ATALA, Wake Forest University: Nice to be with you. GWEN IFILL: So give us a sense, in layperson's language, exactly what you found here. DR. ANTHONY ATALA: Basically, we were looking for an alternate source of stem cells, and we found it in the amniotic fluid, which is the fluid that bathes the baby during development while the mother carries the baby in her womb, as well as the placenta, which is a tissue that surrounds both.