Novel way to improve the liposuction procedure using gold nanoparticles
Although liposuction is one of the cosmetic surgery procedures most common and well established in the United States, it still has its drawbacks. But a new biomedical start-up says it may have found a new way to improve the process using gold nanoparticles literally melt the fat, reports Chemical & Engineering News (C & EN) , the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society.
Lauren K. Wolf, associate editor at C & iN says that for the most common type of liposuction procedure, a surgeon inserts a needle through a sharp incision, moves to back and forth to break down fat cells, then vacuuming them. The problem is the procedure is non-selective, and sometimes connective tissue and nerves are removed with the fat cells. Liposuction patients often suffer bruises, long and lumpy recovery time which must be corrected with a second procedure. To address the problems of surgery, an expert in nanomedicine and his brother, who is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, teamed up to try a different approach.
The duo, Adah Almutairi and Khalid drew on some of the latest research looking into the ability of gold nanoparticles to destroy cancer cells when exposed to infrared light. They wondered if they could inject the same material liposuction patients, illuminate areas selected with an infrared beam to melt the fat rather than mechanically break up, then aspirate the cells. Fat melts at a temperature low enough for the cells of the connective tissues and nerves could be spared damage, they say. A new business, medical eLux, authorized the technique, now called NanoLipo. animal tests are currently underway, and human clinical trials could begin later this year, says the company.
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