Liposuction and Plastic Surgery Information - Liposuctioned Fat a rich source of stem cells

Liposuctioned Fat a rich source of stem cells

Friday, 09 March 2007

Human fat removed through liposuction may not be a waste product and is actually a rich source of stem cells that can be used in medical procedures, according to Norwegian scientists.

Stem cells are the core building blocks of all of the body's cells and change into bone, brain and heart tissue throughout life. The aim of research to date is to determine whether it is possible to direct this change into specific areas, so that stem cells could be developed into brain cells that could then be transplanted to treat illnesses such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Stem cell research has been the subject of controversy since its inception, mainly because of its use of embryonic stem cells. President George W Bush banned all federal funding for most embryonic stem cell research and Australia had banned embryo cloning until last year. However, fat stem cells do not require the use of embryos and avoid the moral dilemnas associated with embryonic stem cell research.

The fat stem cells contain chemical markers that allow scientists to identify those that are most suitable for further development, according to the team from the University of Oslo's Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, led by Philippe Collas.

"Fat is an underappreciated source of stem cells,'' Collas said. "It's wonderful. We have litres and litres of material from cosmetic surgery clinics and end up with bucketfuls of stem cells to work with.'"

The limitation to date is that the stem cells from liposuctioned fat don't lend themselves to changing into as wide a variety of other cells as the embryonic stem cells. However, researchers are looking into the epigenic signals, which are the chemical changes in the cells, to see if these can be reprogrammed.

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