Led by Dr Tara Karnezis and Associate Professor Ramin Shayan, the team found that people with lipedema have stem cells that differ from those with normal fat in almost every way.
They identified a gene involved in cell growth in abnormal lipoedema stem cells, which may lead to more stem cells forming more fat cells. By introducing drugs that inhibit this gene pathway, the team was then able to block the growth of fat stem cells at a basal or “normal” level, showing the potential for treatment.
“For years I lived with Lipoedema and was told that diet and exercise was the way to better health,” said Nola Young, President of Lipoedema Australia. “Now science is beginning to explain why I could never curb my body’s excess fat production through lifestyle controls. I’m not obese and I have a real medical condition that needs treatment.
“This research is exactly the kind of breakthrough people like me have been waiting for. It gives me new hope that my children may not have to suffer like I have suffered all my life.