Fat Tissue Shows Promise as Drug Carrier in Lab Cancer Studies

Researchers Explore New Way to Deliver Chemotherapy Directly to Tumors

Standard chemotherapy travels through your entire body when injected into a vein. This means the drugs reach both cancer cells and healthy tissues. That widespread exposure causes many of the difficult side effects patients experience during treatment. Researchers are now exploring whether processed fat tissue could carry cancer drugs directly to tumor sites. This approach might reduce harmful effects on healthy organs while keeping drugs active at the tumor location for longer periods.

Micro-Fragmented Fat Can Absorb and Release Cancer Drugs

In this laboratory study, scientists tested whether micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT)—specially processed fat from the body—could absorb the chemotherapy drug Paclitaxel and then release it to kill cancer cells. The fat tissue acts like a sponge, soaking up the drug and slowly releasing it over time. The researchers found that both living fat tissue and fat tissue that had been devitalized through freezing worked effectively. This devitalized version (called DMFAT) may be easier to store and use in medical settings.

Lab Tests Show Drug-Loaded Fat Kills Multiple Cancer Types

When the researchers placed drug-loaded fat tissue near various human cancer cell lines in laboratory dishes, the treatment killed cancer cells effectively. The fat tissue released enough Paclitaxel to destroy tumor cells while maintaining its cancer-fighting activity for an extended period. This long-lasting effect is notable because previous methods using individual stem cells to deliver drugs only worked for a few days.

Mouse Study Shows Reduced Tumor Return After Surgery

The research team tested their approach in mice with neuroblastoma—a type of cancer that begins in nerve cells. After surgically removing tumors from the mice, they placed drug-loaded devitalized fat at the surgery site. The results were encouraging:

• Tumors were prevented from returning or took longer to grow back

• The mice showed no signs of toxic side effects

• The treatment appeared safe when placed directly at the tumor site

Important Limitations: This Is Early-Stage Research

This study represents very early scientific exploration. Key points to understand:

• All testing was done in laboratory dishes and mice, not humans

• Neuroblastoma in mice may respond differently than human cancers

• No clinical trials in people have been conducted

• Safety and effectiveness in humans remain unknown

• This research explored fat tissue as a drug carrier, which differs from current Lipogems® orthopedic uses

The researchers suggest this approach might someday help deliver chemotherapy drugs locally during cancer surgery. However, many years of additional research and human trials would be needed before this could become an available treatment option.

What This Means for Your Treatment Decisions

If you have neuroblastoma and are exploring options, this study does not provide evidence for any currently available treatment. The findings represent an interesting scientific concept that requires extensive further research. Current Lipogems® treatments are FDA cleared for orthopedic applications—not cancer treatment. Any decisions about cancer therapy should involve detailed conversations with your oncology team about proven treatment approaches available today.

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Source: Alessandri et al., Journal of Controlled Release, 2019.