A good use of fat

            LOS ANGELES - Scientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA have transformed adult stem cells taken from human adipose - or fat tissue - into smooth muscle cells, Newswise noted, This will help the normal use of a multitude of organs like the intestine, bladder, and arteries, and may lead to using fat stem cells for smooth muscle tissue engineering and repair. Posted online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study is among the first to show stem cells from adipose tissue can be changed to acquire the physical and biochemical characteristics and function of smooth muscle cells. Such cells are in the walls of hollow organs like blood vessels, bladder, and intestines, and contract and expand to help move blood, urine, and waste through the body. “Fat tissue may prove a reliable source of cells we can use to regenerate and repair damaged organs,” said Dr. Larissa Rodriguez, principal investigator and assistant professor, Dept. of Urology, UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Rodriguez and her team first cultured the adipose-derived cells in a growth factor cocktail that encouraged them to become smooth muscle cells. They watched the genetic expression and development of proteins, which are specific to this type of cell. The next step required testing function to see if the cells would expand and contract like smooth muscle tissue. Dr. Rodriguez turned to associate professor of bioengineering Dr. Benjamin Wu, at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science for help. His team developed a special device to evaluate the cells’ ability to contract by tracking movement of microbeads dispersed in a collagen gel embedded with the cells. Scientists added different pharmacologic agents known to cause contraction or relaxation in smooth muscle. “We found the cells function just like smooth muscle,” said Dr. Wu.