June 5, 2013 Researchers from the UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology have isolated a new population of primitive, stress-resistant human pluripotent stem cells easily derived from fat tissue that are able to differentiate into virtually every cell type in the human body without genetic modification.

The cells, called Multi-lineage Stress-Enduring (Muse-AT) stem cells from fat, or adipose, tissue, were discovered by "scientific accident" when a piece of equipment failed in the lab, killing all the stem cells in the experiment except for the Muse-AT cells. The research team further discovered that not only are Muse-AT cells able to survive severe stress, they may even be activated by it, said study senior author Gregorio Chazenbalk, an associate researcher with UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology.

These pluripotent cells, isolated from fat tissue removed during liposuction, expressed many embryonic stem cell markers and were able to differentiate into muscle, bone, fat, cardiac, neuronal and liver cells. An examination of their genetic characteristics confirmed their specialized functions, as well as their capacity to regenerate tissue when transplanted back into the body following their "awakening."

"This population of cells lies dormant in the fat tissue until it is subjected to very harsh conditions. These cells can survive in conditions in which usually only cancer cells can live," Chazenbalk said. "Upon further investigation and clinical trials, these cells could prove a revolutionary treatment option for numerous diseases, including heart disease, stroke and for tissue damage and neural regeneration."

The results of the two-year study are published June 5, 2013 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

Purifying and isolating Muse-AT cells does not require the use of a cell sorter or other specialized, high-tech devices. They are able to grow either in suspension, forming cell spheres, or as adherent cells, forming cell aggregates very similar to human embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies.

"We have been able to isolate these cells using a simple and efficient method that takes about six hours from the time the fat tissue is harvested," said Chazenbalk,a scientist with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. "This research offers a new and exciting source of fat stem cells with pluripotent characteristics, as well as a new method for quickly isolating them. These cells also appear to be more primitive than the average fat stem cells, making them potentially superior sources for regenerative medicine."

Currently, embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells -- skin cells turned into embryonic-like cells -- are the two main sources of pluripotent cells. However, both types can exhibit an uncontrolled capacity for differentiation and proliferation, leading to the formation of unwanted teratoma, or tumors. Little progress has been made in resolving that defect, Chazenbalk said.

Muse cells originally were discovered by a research group at Tokohu University in Japan and were derived from bone marrow and skin, rather than fat. That research group showed that Muse cells did not produce teratomas in animal models. Further research on the Muse-AT cells isolated at UCLA will need to be done to determine whether that cell population avoids production of teratomas.

In addition to providing a potential source of cells for regenerative medicine, Chazenbalk said the Muse-AT cells may provide a better understanding of cancer cells, the only other cells known to display such stress resistance.

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Scientists unexpectedly discover stress-resistant stem cells in fat tissue removed during liposuction

By Brian Alexander, NBC News Contributor

Researchers based at the University of California, Los Angeles announced today that theyve found an abundant, cheap, easy-to-obtain source of stem cells that could prove to be ideal for regenerating all the basic tissue types of the human body.

That source is adipose tissue, or fat.

Stem cells were discovered in human fat in 2001, and called adipose stem cells (ASTs). The cells described by the UCLA scientists, led by Gregorio Chazenbalk, in the journal PLOS One, are different.

Unlike ASTs, these cells, dubbed MUSE by Mari Dezawa, leader of the Japanese team that first discovered them in bone marrow, appear to be pluripotent, more like embryonic stem cells rather than so-called adult stem cells. That means they can develop into any kind of tissue in the body.

MUSE stands for Multilineage-differentiating Stress-Enduring cells, and their ability endure stress is how Chazenbalk found them in fat, by accident.

I was doing ASC isolation, he said in an NBCNews.com interview, late at night when a critical machine stopped working. Because it was late, Chazenbalk couldnt borrow a machine from another lab. So his cells received no nutrients, hardly any oxygen, and most died. Then, instead of throwing them all away, I decided to see if some survived.

Some did, and eventually formed what looked like clusters of cells typical of embryonic stem cells. These turned out to be MUSE cells.

Chazenbalk then obtained several liters of fat from plastic surgeons who had sucked it out of Los Angeles-area women during liposuction procedures, and created a formula for teasing MUSE cells out of the fat.

Chazenbalks team winnowed the collection of adipose cells by exposing them to stressful chemicals, low oxygen and low nutrition. The survivors were MUSE cells.

Continued here:
New source for regenerative stem cells? Your fat, study suggests

A donor egg is held by a pipette prior to nuclear extraction.

Scientists have found a new source of potentially useful stem cells in liposuctioned fat tissue.

The stem cells discovered in adipose, or fat tissue, are considered "pluripotent," meaning they can be differentiated into essentially any type of body cell, making them potentially useful for a variety of medical uses. Researchers believe that pluripotent stem cells will be used to treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.

Until the most recent discovery, made by University of CaliforniaLos Angeles researcher Gregorio Chazenbalk and described in the journal PLOS ONE, the two main types of pluripotent stem cells were embryonic and induced pluripotent cells, which are made by re-engineering skin cells. Several years ago, scientists discovered stem cells in fat tissue that could not be differentiated into other types of cells. According to Chazenbalk, the newly-discovered pluripotent stem cells that exist in fat tissue are known as Muse-AT cells and are particularly stress-resistant, meaning they would be useful for treating traumatic injuries.

[READ: Stem Cell Therapy Cures Type 1 Diabetes in Mice]

"This population of cells lies dormant in the fat tissue until it is subjected to very harsh conditions. These cells can survive in conditions in which usually only cancer cells can live," he says. "When you have an injury, it's a harsh environment for cells there is inflammation and apoptosis (mass cellular death). Anything you put there has a low chance of survival. But these cells are already adapted to the stress, and when you put them in damaged tissue, they can survive at high rates."

That means stem cells from fat tissue could be harvested and frozen and used at a later date, such as when a person suffers an injury. Ideally, researchers would use a person's own stem cells for any sort of therapy, but Chazenbalk says the cells can potentially be reprogrammed, so cells donated from another person would not be rejected by a patient's immune system.

Chazenbalk says his colleagues at Tokohu University in Japan have begun preliminary trials to treat heart attacks in mice with tissue grown using Muse-AT cells.

[ALSO: Scientists Use Cloning Technique to Produce Human Stem Cells]

"When someone has a heart attack, these could be implanted to help regenerate tissue. It could also have use for regrowing skin cells when there is severe burning," he says.

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Scientists Find Stem Cells in Liposuctioned Fat