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Scientists have used cells from fluid drawn during pregnancy to grow mini lungs and other organs

Scientists have created miniorgans from cells floating in the fluid that surrounds a fetus in the womb – an advance they believe could open up new areas of prenatal medicine. Alta Charo, an emeritus professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who wasn’t involved in the study, said the new approach doesn’t raise the same ethical issues. “Obtaining cells from amniotic fluid that is already being sampled for standard clinical purposes does not appear to add any physical risks to either fetus or pregnant woman,” she said in an email.