Worldwide Medical Conference Draws over 30 Countries, 150 Top Scientists to Indianapolis, Indiana

The International Federation of Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS) is holding their 2007 world medical and research conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 18-20. The conference will present advancements in research of Adipose derived stem cells This will be the last IFATS conference to be held in the United States in the near future, as the conference moves to France next year and South Korea in 2009.

(PRWEB) October 15, 2007 -- The International Federation of Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS) is holding their 2007 world medical and research conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 18-20. The conference will present advancements in research of Adipose derived stem cells This will be the last IFATS conference to be held in the United States in the near future, as the conference moves to France next year and South Korea in 2009.

Multidisciplinary investigators from over 30 countries will attend the three-day conference, hosted by Keith L. March, MD, PhD, current IFATS president, Professor of Medicine, Physiology, and Biomedical Engineering, Indiana University School of Medicine.

This is the only organization that focuses on the understanding and treatment of disease by probing into the characteristics of adipose tissue and its rich repository of stem cells. This meeting will be more exciting than ever before, with the field of adipose stem cells having demonstrated a truly remarkable growth in interest over the last year. This is based on a progressive recognition of the host of possibilities for addressing diseases that affect very many people, including those with heart disease, problems with circulation to the legs, stroke, neurological disorders, diabetes, obesity, hemophilia, autoimmune diseases, kidney disease, bone and joint problems, and others.

More than 150 researchers from over 30 countries will join with representatives from more than 15 companies that are actively working in the area of adipose stem cells. Keynote lectures from scientists who have made truly seminal contributions in the translational science of other important types of adult stem cells will greatly enrich the 2007 conference. Dr. Anthony Atala (leader in the field of amniotic-fluid derived stem cells). Dr. Hal Broxmeyer (discover of umbilical cord-blood derived stem cells), and Dr. Katarina LeBlanc (leader in the field of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells) will lecture in their respective disciplines. Biosketches of each of these speakers is available on the IFATS website: http://www.ifats.org A number of new clinical trials using or planning the use of adipose stem cells in patients will be discussed by the investigators.

Indianapolis is a city very familiar with the importance of teamwork. From the yearly extravaganza of the Indy 500 race to the recent winning of the Superbowl, we see that team spirit is a characteristic of the successful efforts of a good many endeavors. The worldwide assembly of researchers that makes up IFATS is indeed a group that will achieve its goals most rapidly by working together closely, and accordingly the theme of the 2007 IFATS meeting is TEAM.

Media Event:

Three special opportunities for the media have been set aside. An open forum with panelist on October 18, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for those in the media who wish to attend in person will give each media attendee the opportunity to hear brief presentations and participate in the follow-up Q&A. Credentialed members of the media will receive extensive research materials in their press kit.

On Thursday October 18, from 1 to 2 p.m., (EDT) a tele-conference with (IFATS) research panelists available to answer questions open to all media and interested scientists.

On Friday October 19, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (EDT), a tele-conference with (IFATS) research panelists available to answer questions from all media and interested scientists.

Keith L. March MD, PhD, will moderate both tele-conferences. To participate in either tele-conference call: 317-278-7008 enter pin # 455774

Background: Stem cells are believed to be a key ingredient in the body's self-repair system-a sort of blank slate that can develop into multiple cells types. They can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells for a lifetime. When a stem cell divides, each new cell can either remain a stem cell or differentiate into a more specialized cell such as nerve, blood, bone or muscle. Stem cell based approaches may hold promise for treating or curing heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, stroke, spinal cord injury and genetic diseases.

Stem cells are classified in three ways. Depending on their origin and potential, they can be totipotent (able to become any kind of cell), pluripotent (able to give rise to any cell except those needed to develop a fetus) and multipotent (able to become a limited variety of cells). Adult stem cells are thought to be multipotent.

Adipose-derived Adult Stem Cells, in 2001, researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Pittsburgh first reported that stem cells could be isolated from adipose tissue removed during liposuction. Since then, researchers in the laboratory have suggested adipose-derived stem cells can be coaxed into new fat tissue, bone, cartilage, nerve, muscle and endothelial cells. In animal studies, these cells show potential for treatment of heart attack, stroke, or bone injury.

Adipose is an attractive source of cells because it is abundantly available, easily accessible and routinely discarded in medical procedures. In addition, there is great potential for the development of therapies using a patient's own cells.

Adult stem cells are primitive cells that can renew and are capable of becoming the major cell types in the tissue or organ that harbors them. The primary roles of adult stem cells are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. The process takes about two weeks to produce bone and three weeks to produce muscle cells.

Hundreds of millions of stem cells can be obtained from liposuction patient. One pint of liposuctioned fat or one pound of whole fat can yield up to 200 million stem cells, which culture can be expanded by 10 times over the course of two weeks.

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