Eureka! Stem cells from beer gut

LONDON - Scientists may have found a use for the much-maligned beer gut.

They have discovered that cells in the type of fat routinely extracted by liposuction from the bodies of people wanting to lose weight could be used to grow new tissue and organs.

Fat taken from obese men and women contains stem cells, the essential raw material for scientists working in the burgeoning area of tissue engineering.

Stem cells are like building blocks, and scientists around the world are using them to try to grow all sorts of tissue, from livers and kidneys to bone and retinas.

The concept is that the stem cells, when they are mixed in a particular organic "soup" and put on to a special scaffolding, grow into the desired organ or tissue.

But one of the sticking points has been finding a ready source of the cells.

The scientists, who report their findings in the medical journal Tissue Engineering, say their research shows that fat may be a significant and ready source of stem cells.

"The data supports the hypothesis that a human lipoaspirate may represent an alternative stem-cell source."

- INDEPENDENT