12.16.2014 - By Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.
In this interview Dr. Rhonda Patrick talks to Dr. Frans Kuypers about his lab’s discovery on how the human placenta is a rich source of pluripotent stem cells and yet the placenta is thrown away after delivery. They discuss how his lab has shown that the stem cells from the placenta can be transformed into neuron-like cells, fat cells, bone cells, endothelial cells (relevant for lung and blood vessels), and liver cells. His lab also developed a technique for harvesting 5 to 7 times more hematopoietic stem cells from placenta than is currently retrieved from cord blood, a more standard, established source that is used worldwide for bone-marrow transplant.