Fat Cell Donors?

asked 1 year ago by c_pax99 in Arkansas
Latest answer by Ali Sajjadian, MD
Question viewed 289 times
Tags: fat

Blood can be donated. Plasma,RBC,etc. crazy as it sounds,has anyone looked into researching Lipase(fat cell)Donations?Like to burn victims or anorexic/bulimic patients?Or researched ways to utilize fat cells for anything used in everyday life.whale fat is used for many things.Even burned & used for warmth/energy.I know it sounds silly & I'm not sure this is a question for a doctor or engineer but with the majority of Americans overweight it seems to be a plentiful & renewable. Any insight?

6 answers to Fat Cell Donors?

Grow Fat In the Labratory

Donating fat from one person to another would cause rejection, infection and other issues. If the Immune reaction of the host or recipient is reduced to overcome the issue of the rejection, then other problems can surface. For practical proposes it is not possible. However, there are groups looking into growing one's own fat outside in the laboratory and then injecting it back to the patient.

Ali Sajjadian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

www.DrSajjadian.com

Value of fat transfer is not likely to be worth risk of immunosuppression

Yes, fat is a tissue not unlike skin or cartilage or bone. IF the immunogenicity of the tissue can be reduced it would be possible. Therefore bone grafts are essentially dead when transferred from one individual to another. You can't simply transfer blood cells without matching blood types. In rare cases, in which individuals are severely traumatized or immunocompromised or immunologically suppressed, they may be able to accept grafts for short periods of time but ultimately they... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

I did hear of a surgeon who was allegedly making biodesiel from this fat.

Dear C-pax Dr. Aldea is absolutely correct. There are a lot of barriers to using tissue from other people. When the medical necessity warrants immunosuppression to save a life or for very specific other situations (face transplants are a good example) it is done. Heart, kidney and liver transplant are good examples. However, fat for filler is not worthwhile especially when other excellent products are available. Fat from surgery is handles as a hazardous... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Fat donors

There is research being done with stem cells and adipose stem cells from one individual might in the future be utilized for the same person. If fat is harvested from a different person and transplanted into a different recipient, the patient receiving the fat would have to take large doses of medications that decrease their immune respone to prevent rejection of the new material from another human being. This can cause serious side effects and increases the prevalence of new and... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Fat donation

Sounds liek a great idea to donate fat. However, everyone has a different immune system and what are called HLA types which make our tissues different. Therefore, rejection is an issue. The only way to get around this is with immunosuppression.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Fat Cell Donation is not realistic for many reasons

Red blood cells have far less immunogenic markers than do fat cells. When someone receives blood, they are in dire need for its oxygen carrying capacity (heart surgery, trauma, on going blood losses) and the donor and recipient blood types are carefully matched. Fat grafts do not have anywhere near the life saving importance and urgency that blood transfusions do. Moreover, they have a much more complex presentation of immunogenic proteins which would require immunosuppression of the... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

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