NEW
YORK, NY (April 29, 2002) — If you've been
considering lipoplasty (liposuction) for
cosmetic reasons, new clinical data indicate
there may be long-term benefits you never
imagined. Stem cell researchers have made
headlines predicting future uses for recycled
fat, including regeneration of body parts
damaged by disease or injury; but a new
clinical study suggests that some of this
new technology may be available now, with
lipoplasty patients "banking"
their own stem cells and collagen-rich material.
Researchers presenting the current findings
of their on-going research at the Annual
Meeting of the American
Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
(ASAPS) in Las Vegas, April 27 - May 3,
say the potential impact on cosmetic surgery
and patient care may be profound.

Lipoplasty is the most commonly performed
aesthetic surgical procedure. According
to ASAPS' most recent statistics, more than
385,000 lipoplasty procedures were performed
in 2001. Routinely, however, the material
removed during the procedure is discarded.
Researchers say this lipoaspirate is rich
in adult stem cells that can be useful to
the patient.

Los Angeles plastic surgeon and ASAPS spokesperson
Peter Fodor, MD, says the significance of
his study is tremendous. "Here we have
adult stem cells harvested with no ethical,
moral, or political downside. The yield
is huge, and the stem cells can be stored
for future regeneration."

According to the study's co-author, Marc
Hedrick, MD, "This may be the beginning
of an endless supply of adult stem cells
that can be used for muscle, bone, cartilage
and nerve regeneration, or to remake fat
from the ground up." In other words,
we may be at the flashpoint where tissue
recycling and regeneration become reality.

One of the important findings of the study
is that the stem cells can be differentiated
into fat, bone, cartilage, muscle, and nerve.
This demonstrates that stem cells from fat
can regenerate many different types of human
tissues.

In the study, patients undergoing lipoplasty
banked both their stem cells and their collagen
for future use. Using a patient's own collagen
eliminates many of the problems associated
with using collagen from other sources.
No adverse reactions have been reported
with the autologous collagen-rich injections
in patients studied up to six months so
far.

The potential medical benefits of this
stem cell research are enormous, and go
far beyond the cosmetic applications, according
to Drs. Fodor and Hedrick. For example,
a 40-year-old woman undergoing lipoplasty
will be able to bank or freeze her stem
cells in suspended animation. She will age,
but her stem cells won't. Then later, when
she is older, she can use her young stem
cells to fix a broken bone or cure a life-threatening
disease. "The clinical use of stem
cells to treat the problems of disease and
aging is not a question of if, but when,"
says Dr. Hedrick, "and our research
suggests the when may be now." In addition,
if the ongoing research shows that fat tissue
can reliably be engineered from a patient's
own stem cells without calcification, this
might mean an advance in the area of breast
augmentation. However, ASAPS President Malcolm
Paul, MD, warns against hurrying the future:
"It would be a major break-through
if recycled fat could be used to enlarge
the breasts," he says, "but we
need scientific proof that such a procedure
would not be harmful or cause difficulty
in reading mammograms."

"As with everything that seems exciting
and new, further research and documentation
of results is key," says Dr. Fodor.
"This study is a small one, and we
won't be sure of the implications until
we have followed the results over time,
have been able to duplicate them in many
patients, and have followed all procedures
leading to FDA approval."

Note: The initial pilot project was funded
by a research grant from the Aesthetic Surgery
Education and Research Foundation (ASERF).

Dr. Hedrick has a financial interest in
technology related to stem cells.

Dr. Fodor's presentation is scheduled for
Wednesday, May 1, 11:00 am PDT.

PETER FODOR, MD, and MARC HEDRICK, MD,
are available for interviews.

CONTACT THE ASAPS COMMUNICATIONS STAFF.