Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue: A Potential New Approach for Brain Cancer Treatment
Alex Salagean, Adela Nechifor-Boila, Nosherwan Bajwa, Ylenia Pastorello, Mark Slevin · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2023
Your Own Fat Tissue Could Help Deliver Cancer Drugs Directly to Brain Tumors
This 2023 review explores an exciting possibility in brain cancer treatment. Researchers examined whether micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT)—processed fat from your own body—could serve as a natural delivery system for chemotherapy drugs. The idea is to place drug-loaded fat tissue directly at the tumor site, bypassing many problems with current treatments.
Why Current Brain Cancer Treatments Fall Short
Treating brain tumors like glioblastoma remains extremely challenging. The brain has a protective barrier that blocks most medications from reaching tumors effectively. When drugs do get through, they often cause serious side effects throughout the body. Glioblastoma affects more than five in every 100,000 people annually. Sadly, average survival remains only about two years after diagnosis. Treatment options have stayed largely unchanged for over a decade.
How MFAT Works as a Natural Drug Carrier
MFAT contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)—regenerative cells that can absorb and slowly release medications. Research shows these cells can:
Absorb chemotherapy drugs like paclitaxel
Release the drugs in controlled amounts over days to months
Deliver potentially tumor-fighting doses directly where needed
Function as a natural "scaffold" that stays in place at the treatment site
The tissue is obtained through a simple liposuction procedure from your abdomen. About 100 to 200 milliliters of fat produces roughly 10 milliliters of processed MFAT ready for use.
Laboratory Studies Show Promise Against Brain Cancer Cells
In laboratory tests, drug-loaded MFAT and MSCs showed activity against several cancer cell types. These included glioblastoma cells (called U-87 MG) and neuroblastoma cells. The MFAT released cancer-fighting substances that could inhibit tumor growth. Because the tissue comes from your own body, it avoids rejection problems that occur with donor materials.
Important Limitations: This Research Is Still Early Stage
This paper reviews preclinical and laboratory studies—not human clinical trials for brain cancer. While the science is promising, several questions remain unanswered:
How well does this approach work in actual patients with brain tumors?
What is the best way to place MFAT near brain tumors safely?
How long do the effects last in real-world conditions?
What side effects might occur with this treatment approach?
The authors note that more research is needed before this could become a standard treatment option.
What This Means for Patients Considering Treatment Options
This review highlights MFAT's potential as a future brain cancer therapy. It is not currently an established treatment for brain tumors. If you have brain cancer, your best options remain working closely with your oncology team. They can discuss proven treatments and any clinical trials you might qualify for.
The research does show that MFAT technology continues expanding beyond its current uses in joint conditions and tissue repair. For patients interested in regenerative medicine, this represents an important area of ongoing scientific investigation.
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Source: Salagean et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023.
Original Publication
Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue as a Natural Scaffold for Targeted Drug Delivery in Brain Cancer
Alex Salagean, Adela Nechifor-Boila, Nosherwan Bajwa, Ylenia Pastorello, Mark Slevin · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2023
Major limitations in the effective treatment of neurological cancer include systemic cytotoxicity of chemotherapy, inaccessibility, and inoperability. The capability to successfully target a drug to the tumor site(s) without incurring serious side effects—especially in the case of aggressive tumors, such as glioblastoma and neuroblastoma—would represent a significant breakthrough in therapy. Orthotopic systems, capable of storing and releasing proteins over a prolonged period at the site of a tumor, that utilize nanoparticles, liposomes, and hydrogels have been proposed. One candidate for drug delivery is Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue (MFAT). Easily obtained from the patient by abdominal subcutaneous liposuction (autologous), and with a high content of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), mechanically derived nanofat is a natural tissue graft with a structural scaffold organization. It has a well-preserved stromal vascular fraction and a prolonged capacity to secrete anti-tumorigenic concentrations of pre-absorbed chemotherapeutics within extracellular vesicles. This review discusses current evidence supporting the potential of drug-modified MFAT for the treatment of neurological cancer with respect to recent preclinical and in vitro studies. Possible limitations and future perspectives are considered.