The Liposuctioned Fat Is Rich Source of Adult Stem Cells

Stem cells are the building blocks of all the body's cells, changing into heart, bone and brain tissue after conception. Scientists are studying whether they can be directed to develop into specific cells, which would then be transplanted to treat a variety of diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Human fat removed through liposuction is a rich source of adult stem cells, according to Norwegian scientists who have developed a method for identifying the most promising research candidates.

Studies of adult stem cells are less controversial than those of embryonic stem cells, which are harvested at the expense of human embryos. Fat stem cells contain chemical markers that make it easier to find those that are best at further developing, according to a team led by Philippe Collas, a researcher at the University of Oslo's Institute of Basic Medical Sciences.

``Fat is an underappreciated source of stem cells,'' Collas said in a statement yesterday. ``It's wonderful. We have liters and liters of material from cosmetic surgery clinics and end up with bucketfuls of stem cells to work with.''

President George W. Bush in 2001 banned the use of federal funding for all but a few existing embryonic stem cell lines, while Australia until December had a four-year ban on embryo cloning.

Chemical Changes

So far, scientists have found the adult cells can't change into as great a variety of other cells as the embryonic stem cells. Researchers are studying the chemical changes, called epigenic signals, which lead to particular cell development to see whether they can be reprogrammed.

Collas and his team have found that fat stem cells with high rates of DNA methylation aren't likely to develop into another cell type. DNA methylation, which occurs when strands of methyl attach to DNA, can stop or start gene activity. If it attaches to a gene that controls cell growth, for example, the cell may turn cancerous.

Collas presented the findings last month at a conference organized by the European Science Foundation.

Liposuction was the top cosmetic surgical procedure in the U.S. in 2005, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Doctors performed the surgery 455,489 times, down 5 percent from the previous year. Other procedures include breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, nose shaping and ``tummy tucks,'' or abdominoplasty.

The medical association estimates the cost of liposuction is between $2,697 and $2,979. The procedure requires one treatment which takes between 45 minutes and two hours.

To contact the reporter on this story: Frances Schwartzkopff in Copenhagen at Or fschwartzkop@bloomberg.net.

Source: www.bloomberg.com