Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research

Justin Brumbaugh; Brian A Aguado; Tamra Lysaght; Lawrence S B Goldstein

doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008

Human fetal tissue is critical for biomedical research

Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Dec 12;18(12):2300-2312. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.008. Epub 2023 Nov 16.

Authors

Justin Brumbaugh¹, Brian A Aguado², Tamra Lysaght³, Lawrence S B Goldstein⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: justin.brumbaugh@colorado.edu.
² Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
³ Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
⁴ Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Abstract

Human fetal tissue and cells derived from fetal tissue are crucial for biomedical research. Fetal tissues and cells are used to study both normal development and developmental disorders. They are broadly applied in vaccine development and production. Further, research using cells from fetal tissue is instrumental for studying many infectious diseases, including a broad range of viruses. These widespread applications underscore the value of fetal tissue research and reflect an important point: cells derived from fetal tissues have capabilities that cells from other sources do not. In many cases, increased functionality of cells derived from fetal tissues arises from increased proliferative capacity, ability to survive in culture, and developmental potential that is attenuated in adult tissues. This review highlights important, representative applications of fetal tissue for science and medicine.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Fetal Research*
Fetus*
Humans

Grants and funding

R25 HL145817/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States