Tailor made fat storage a thing of the present

New research has shown that the combination of bone marrow technology and genetic engineering could result in the manipulation of fat storage and production. A report was released in the March 2016 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology which suggests that some human fat cells are actually produced from stem cells in bone marrow. Therefore, research is underway in order to manipulate the production of these fat cells in order to reduce both obesity and the risks of the diseases associated with it.

The researchers recruited patients that had undergone bone marrow transplants; they then took fat tissue samples and matched the DNA in these samples with either the donor or recipient from the transplant. They subsequently found that some of the fat cells contained the donor DNA, meaning that they had originated from the donor stem cells. This discovery highlights the possibility of new strategies to prevent and even reverse fat-related conditions; it’s also helping to unravel the complex and difficult world of obesity treatment.