Wired Magazine published an excellent article last week documenting the progress of Cytori Therapeutics as they develop methods for breast surgery using “adipose-derived stem cell fat grafting.”
If their methods are successful, a woman could undergo breast augmentation or breast reconstruction using fat grafts and stem cells harvested from adipose tissue. That’s the hypothesis behind much of Cytori’s research and development of their Celution system.
How does it work? The fat cells increase breast volume while the regenerative stem cells within the mixture encourage growth of the blood supply, allowing the fat graft to survive within the breast.
But “breasts are just the beginning,” says the article. The technology has potential in many other regenerative therapies for different organs. And the stem cells are readily available in body fat, the same fat that’s typically removed during liposuction.
According to Wired, “regulators in Europe and Japan were satisfied with the animal and human studies Cytori submitted for approval of the Celution machine, “ but the US FDA has not given their approval for the device.