I have heard of people saving the fat that is removed during liposuction because it contains stem cells. Are these the same stem cells collected by CelVida?
A. No, cells collected using the CelVida and NeoStem protocols are hematopoetic stem cells. It is true that adipose tissue (fat) contains stem cells; however these cells are mesenchymal cells, not hematopoietic stem cells. Currently there is no clinically approved use for mesenchymal stem cells. Because the future holds great promise, these mesenchymal stem cells are collected and stored today with the hope that there will be a clinically acceptable application for their use tomorrow. Stem cells collected at CelVida are hematopoietic cells collected via a process called apheresis. Only hematopoietic cells can be used for a bone marrow transplant. Only hematopoietic cells can be used clinically TODAY. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Q. There are companies offering different stem cell collection techniques. One is drawing a small amount of peripheral blood into a storage container and sending the specimen for storage. Another proce
