fetal tissue

A microscopic image of a kidney organoid resembling renal tubules, created from cells collected from amniotic fluid. In a study published in Nature Medicine in March 2024. (Giuseppe Calà, Paolo De Coppi, Mattia Gerli via AP)

Scientists are using cells from fluid drawn during pregnancies to grow miniorgans

Associated Press

Miniorgans, or “ organoids,” are tiny simplified structures that can be used to test new medical treatments or study how the real organs they mimic work, whether they are healthy or diseased.

A conservative think tank said that the Health and Human Services announcement doesn't go far enough and that Secretary Alex Azar "should redirect those funds to modern science and better alternatives."

Health News Florida

Health And Human Services Says It's Reviewing Use Of Fetal Tissue For Research

Laurel Wamsley

The audit has been called a political gesture to placate anti-abortion groups that oppose use of the tissue. Fetal tissue has played a part in developing vaccines and medical treatments.

In 1954, Dr. Frederick C. Robbins, then chief of pediatrics and contagious diseases at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, was one of three winners of that year's Nobel Prize in medicine. The scientists' work, which led to a vaccine against polio, was performed in human fetal cells.

NPR Health

Research On Fetal Tissue Draws Renewed Political, Scientific Scrutiny

Rob Stein

Critics say research on fetal tissue is no longer needed to answer crucial medical questions. But National Institutes of Health officials and other scientists say alternatives don't yet measure up.