Growing bones
June 13, 2012
THE future of bone injury and
disease treatment could lie in stem
cells harvested from fat, according
to a new study published in Stem
Cells Translational Medicine.
The study looked at the possibility
of using bone grafts from purified
stem cells originating from fat, and
found that this method could lead
to a more efficient way to
regenerate bone and end painful
operations needed to collect a
patient’s own bone for grafting.
During their research, the authors
were able to demonstrate the
potential of a population of stem cells
found in human fat to generate
bone, and also identified a new
factor to stimulate bone growth.
The perivascular stem cells (that
surround blood vessels) used in the
research were a purified byproduct
of liposuction, and were found to
form significantly more bone than
other fat cells, and researchers also
found that they were plentiful in
the body, so they could be
harvested from even those with
very minimal body fat.
“The possibility of using this
method in the future to heal bone
defects would be a breakthrough
for patients,” said Dr Anthony Atala,
Director of the Wake Forest
Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
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