Some Save Stem Cells For Future Use
Physicians Disagree On Usefulness Of Storing Fat Cells
CHICAGO -- Stem cell therapy is still under development, but some people are starting to consider the implications on their own lives.
Wesley Hayes works out and eats right, but he still had liposuction, because, he said, one "belly bump" refused to disappear.
"That little pocket of fat that took up residence on me," is how Hayes described it.
But he had a different type of liposuction. In this case, plastic surgeon Bahram Ghaderi planned to save the fat that was removed instead of throwing it away. Why? Because body fat is one source for adult stem cells -- stem cells that someday might save Hayes' life.
"Potentially -- and it's a very real potential -- someday, these stem cells can be turned into heart muscles to put into your heart to have more function there," Ghaderi said.
It's still unproven, but there is test-tube evidence that stem cells from fat or muscle or skin could someday regenerate that same person's body parts, such as the pancreas, liver, muscle and brain.
Hayes calls it insurance against future disease.
"My father had a heart attack at an early age, in his 40s," Hayes said. "My mother has diabetes. I've been healthy, but you've got to plan for the future."
After the liposuction, Hayes' fat was put in a refrigerated box and shipped to the Stemsource Lab, located in Thousand Oaks, Calif. That's where the stem cells are extracted and put in to a deep freeze. Hayes will pay about $1,700 for up to 10 years of storage while scientists work on the potential uses.
Not everyone is a believer. University of Chicago cardiologist and stem cell expert Elizabeth McNally said that even if science finds a way to use Hayes' stem cells, he does not need to bank them now. She said he could wait until he's older.
"Personally, I don't think there's a scientific rationale for that right now, or at least I haven't seen it," McNally said. "Right now, we don't have any evidence that older stem cells -- stem cells from an older person or organism -- have less capabilities than from a younger individual."
Ghaderi disagreed, saying he believes that stem cells from a younger person are healthier and more robust when put in storage.
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