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American Morning

Could Human Fat Be Used for Stem Cell Research?

Aired April 10, 2001 - 10:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: More health news here. It seems those love handles could be put to good use. Researchers at UCLA say they've isolated human fat as a potential source of stem cells. Stem cells are the building blocks for all human tissue.

And joining me now to talk more about the study and the possible implications is Dr. Mark Hedrick. He's involved at the UCLA Cosmetic Surgery Center and teaches cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Doctor, good morning.

DR. MARK HEDRICK, PLASTIC SURGEON: Good morning.

PHILLIPS: Well, were you surprised about what you found out about fat tissue?

HEDRICK: Well, we really weren't too surprised. If you've looked in the paper or in the news over the last few years, what you find is that stem cells are being found in more and more organs and tissues. So really we weren't too surprised.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about how this could affect patient treatment. Looking into the future here, what could this mean?

HEDRICK: Well, right now there's a debate raging about the use of embryonic stem cells and this may take some of the air out of that debate. In fact, if all of us are carrying around several pounds of our own stem cells, then it may be possible to harvest our own stem cells and use those to make new organs and tissues in the future.

PHILLIPS: Wow. How could it affect you as a doctor? I mean when you were learning about this, I mean what's the first thing that went through your mind, maybe some -- did you get excited about how maybe this could help you in certain situations?

HEDRICK: Well, this really changes how we think about fat tissue. When I went through medical school, fat tissue was this yellow stuff that sort of got in the way as we dissected our cadavers. But now fat really is a -- we've shown that it's a complex mixture of different components and one important component in fat tissue are these stem cells.

PHILLIPS: So give me an example. I mean is this something that could help, say, during surgery, avoid having scars? Could this -- give me a couple of examples of why maybe I should be excited about this.

HEDRICK: Well, what this means, I think, for some patients is that in the future you might be able to give up some of your fat tissue in the operating room and then that tissue can be, once it's extracted can be remade or refashioned into new organs. Perhaps if a woman has a mastectomy and needs a breast reconstructed, this fat tissue could be used to remake new breast tissue, a new breast, or perhaps it could also be used to make a new organ such as a liver or another organ such as a muscle.

PHILLIPS: Wow, that's pretty amazing. So how soon could we see this in human patients?

HEDRICK: Well, I think you'll see patients being treated using these cells within the next five years.

PHILLIPS: That's quickly. And before that? Are you, is it animals at this point that, how it's being tested?

HEDRICK: Well, we've pretty well shown that these cells have the capability to differentiate or turn into different tissue types in a Petri dish and I think the next step is to show that we can take these human cells and make three dimensional tissues in animals and then after we do that then I think we're ready to see if they might work in patients.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Mark Hedrick, pretty exciting stuff. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

HEDRICK: Sure.

PHILLIPS: All right.

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