Human Fat Cells May Be Able to Grow Bone

A laboratory study has demonstrated the ability of human fat cells to form bone. Conducted by a team of scientists from North Carolina, Texas, and New York (USA), the study was published in the December 2001 issue of Tissue Engineering.

Bone is normally made by osteoblasts in two steps: the generation of proteins that surround the cells to form a matrix structure and the formation of calcium crystals. The scientists found that the multipotent phenotype of stromal cells from human fat can perform both of these steps. They say that fatty tissue offers an abundant, self-replenishing reservoir of stromal cells for bone regrowth and repair, a source that is easier and less painful to access than human bone cells. One potential application for these stromal cells is for the repair of nonhealing fractures in people with osteoporosis. Possibly, these cells may also be used in combination with cement materials. More research is needed to confirm potential clinical applications.

"The next step, which we have already begun at Artecel, is to replicate these results in animals,” notes Jeffrey M. Gimble, M.D., senior author of the paper and chief scientific officer of Artecel Sciences, Inc. (Durham, NC, USA)."We will take cells from human fat tissue and implant them in mice to prove that they can form bone.”




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