Stem cells in body's fatty folds can help heal diseased kidneys

A new study has revealed that fatty fold of tissue within the abdomen that is a rich source of stem cells can help in fighting kidney failure.

The study found that stem cells from within a chronic kidney disease patient's own abdomen could be used to preserve and possibly improve kidney function, New Scientist reported.

However, such a treatment would require injecting cells frequently over a period of many months and years, as stem cells do not survive in the body for more than a few days after injection.

Ashok Singh, from John H Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County, and his colleagues tested on rats with kidney disease by connecting the omentum, a fatty fold of tissue to the kidney.

The research has revealed that stem cells indeed possess the power to slow or even reverse chronic kidney disease, provided the cells are allowed to remain in the diseased kidney for a prolonged period of time.

The study was published in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.