Real reason KREM is up (?) -- Study : Fat May Be Stem Cells Source
April 10, 2001
Study: Fat May Be Stem Cells Source
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:31 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A team of scientists says it has grown everything from human
muscle to bone from stem cells taken from fat -- a breakthrough that could eliminate the
controversial use of fetal cells in the quest to mend damaged, missing or dead tissue.
Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of
Pittsburgh isolated the stem cells -- immature cells that can be coaxed into maturing into
specific types of tissue -- from ordinary fat removed by liposuction. They then grew the
cells into bone, cartilage, muscle and fat.
Stem cells have been taken previously from bone marrow, brain tissue and aborted
fetuses and frozen embryos -- a practice opposed by many anti-abortion groups. The use
of fat as a source could end such controversy.
The study was published Monday in the journal Tissue Engineering.
Researchers predict the first practical use of laboratory-engineered tissue could come
within five years. Eventually, scientists hope to use a patient's own fat to supply the
tissue required to treat disease or repair injuries.
``We hope one day to be able to remove diseased tissue or organs, harvest stem cells and
replace the lost tissues on the same day during the same operation,'' said Dr. Marc
Hedrick of UCLA. ``There is potential for regenerating a lot of different tissues, perhaps
some day solid organs, glands, nerves or brain tissue.''
Dr. J. William Futrell, a plastic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of
the research team, said it is too soon to say how the quality of stem cells from fat will
compare to those from embryonic cells.
However, the fact that fat cells are so abundant could make them a ready source of
material for a biotech industry interested in engineering new human tissues.
``Fat is something that is universal,'' Futrell said.
Dr. Mary Hendrix, head of the department of anatomy and cell biology at the University
of Iowa, said the study adds to the growing evidence that adult stem cells can be as
easily manipulated as embryonic cells.
``This is a very exciting discovery, because it's adding to our knowledge base of the
potential of adult cells to provide a stem cell population,'' said Hendrix, who was not
involved with the research.
The benefits could be twofold. The fat removed from a patient's beer gut, for example,
could be used to repair that person's bum knee.
The discovery comes at a time when President Bush has signaled he may block federal
funding for studies that use embryonic or fetal cells. He wants scientists to focus on
adult stem cells, which until now have been more difficult to harvest.
There are drawbacks to harvesting stem cells from a patient's own body.
In severely ill patients who need large amounts of tissue replaced, doctors may not be
able to grow sufficient stem cells quickly enough, according to the National Institutes of
Health's guidelines on human stem cell research.
And in any disorders caused by genetic defect, the genetic error could be present in the
cultured stem cells, making them inappropriate for transplantation.
Still, scientists look to stem cell research and its promise as a potential cure for
Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, heart disease and spinal cord
injuries.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press |
