StemCellLipo™ – an exciting new option for liposuction patients
by Dr. David Harris, Professor of Microbiology, University of Arizona
StemCellLipo is not a new type of liposuction, but rather a new service offered exclusively by AdiCyte, a Tucson based cryobank. StemCellLipo enables patients to store adipose tissue (fat) and stem cells for use in the future in cosmetics, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering following liposuction. Liposuction results in a highly convenient opportunity for a patient to add on StemCellLipo, and save their stem cells instead of having them discarded as waste.
Stem Cells are the body’s ‘master cells’ that replicate and become all of your specialized cells, from heart cells and brain cells, to the cells that make up blood vessels and other organs. Stem cells have been used for decades in cancer treatments, and are the foundation for an emerging field of medicine called Regenerative Medicine, where doctors use these cells to regenerate diseased or injured parts of your body.
Historically, the fat collected after liposuction has been discarded as waste. In 2001, doctors discovered that your adipose tissue [fat] is actually the richest source of stem cells in your body. Adipose tissue contains mesenchymal [ma-zink-a-mal] stem cells and their potential in medicine is driving more than 100 FDA clinical trials currently treating thousands of patients.
StemCellLipo enables people to save their unique tissue and stem cells as a type of ‘biological insurance’ in case of future need. Imagine a future where doctors can use your own, youngest stem cells to help you live a longer, healthier life. The cells may be useful one day to treat serious health issues and problems you encounter such as heart attack, bone fractures, osteoarthritis, stroke and even cancer.It is best to bank stem cells at the youngest age possible. This is because stem cells collected at a later age [after 65] are far fewer in number and less able to regenerate and turn into other cells types. The idea behind StemCellLipo is to save your stem cells while they are at their youngest, healthiest state, and have the best cells available to use in the future.
Doctors treating patients in clinical trials today have been successful using stem cells to improve heart function in patients who have suffered a heart attack and to regenerate cartilage in knees. Another exciting area of regenerative medicine is a field called tissue engineering, where doctors have used a patient’s own stem cells to grow new blood vessels and organs, like bladders and tracheas.
Collection is simple. After or during your procedure, your doctor will collect an additional sample of your fat to be placed into syringes in a specially designed collection kit and shipped priority overnight to AdiCyte’s laboratory for processing and banking. The laboratory is FDA registered and was built specifically for banking adipose tissue.
Patients should now make an informed choice about saving their stem cells, and liposuction procedures presents an ideal and convenient time to collect and bank these cells. It is safe, painless and requires no additional preparation. If you do not choose to save them, your tissue will be discarded following your procedure.
To find out more or request StemCellLipo, visit www.adicyte.com or call 888.262.0387 to find a doctor near you.
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