Japanese Study Looks at Use of Adult Stem Cells in Breast Enlargement, 2007-11-13
There's a new study underway in Japan that is looking at the possibility of using adult stem and regenerative cells from adipose tissue, or fat, in breast augmentation procedures. In the procedure, the patient's breasts are enlarged, not by mere silicone or saline, but by her own liposuctioned fat which has been enhanced by her own regenerative and stem cells. This is a whole new dimension to the largely fallacious concept of "natural" breast enlargement.
Fat tissue, or adipose tissue, is one of the body's most accessible sources of regenerative cells, and those cells, in addition to other important cell types that help improve tissue retention, also include adult stem cells. Because of this, adipose cells are likely to simplify and improve fat transfer procedures that were formerly complex, as well as allowing for more predictable results, including graph retention, when applied to reconstructive or cosmetic surgeries.
At the heart of the study is a device known as the Celution ™ system, which was developed by Cytori Therapeutics. It is this device that allows adipose-derived regenerative cells to be available during breast augmentation surgery.
The study, which is an independent undertaking, is being sponsored by Dr. Tatsuro Kamakura, M.D, the chief medical officer of Cosmetic Surgery Seishin, in Japan. There will be twenty patients, all of whom will go through a standardized fat tissue transplantation procedure, using cell-enhanced fat tissue, where the cells were processed using the Cytori device.
