We started moving fat from one location to another. We saw unexpected improvements and in our efforts to understand why we discovered that fat is full of stem cells. Removing fat cells and blood vessels and keeping everything else gave us a potent mix.
From Fat to Stem Cells
Fat Graft
In 2004 I had a patient who had a melanoma removed from her shin. The defect was closed with a split skin graft. After this surgery the lady cried for two reasons. First she cried because she was happy to be alive. Second she cried because it looked so damn ugly. All the tissue had been removed and the split skin graft was sitting directly onto her shin bone. I explained that the fat was missing and that this could be replaced to restore the contour and colour of her skin.
When the first layer of fat was injected she had no feeling so no anaesthetic was needed. When she returned for her second layer I did not use anaesthetic but she said ‘ouch’. That surprised me. When she returned for the third layer she needed local anaesthetic. All her nerves had grown back. Why? What was in fat that made nerves grow?
Fat is Full of Stem Cells
I started to research ‘What is in Fat?’ The literature is full of articles revealing all the proteins, hormones, cytokines, etc that fat contains. At this time I came across the work of Prof. Bill Walsh at the University of New South Wales. He was turning fat into bone. I felt that this was miraculous. Something as soft as fat becoming something as hard as bone. I went to see him and he showed me his work. He told me about the work of Patricia Zuk. In 2001 she published her work showing that fat is full of Stem Cells.
Liposuction on Dogs
In 2008 I was invited to teach some veterinarians how to perform liposuction on dogs. I thought it was a very strange request. I agreed so that I could see what they were doing. They got me to sign a confidentiality agreement. There was a dog in the waiting room. It had a shiny coat and a wagging tail. He looked completely healthy. They said ‘just 6 months ago this dog could not get off the ground because of the arthritis in its joints’ The veterinarians were using the dog’s own fat to treat its arthritis.
First Human Patient
Back in my practice I told one of my patients all about this. She immediately insisted that I do this treatment for her. I refused. She persisted. I continued to research this phenomenon.
In April the following year, 2009, I harvested some of her fat, we separated the stromal cells and I injected her knees. The Osteoarthritis in her knees improved steadily. So did the Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in her hands.
I had been treating her RA for many years and had taken blood samples before and after the treatment. Her CRP, a measure of inflammation and activity of her RA, steadily improved.
Even though I only injected her knees the cells left her knees, entered the blood stream and travelled all over her body. She was able to stop her pain killers, stop her Prednisone and we maintained her on her Methotrexate. Her CRP started to rise. I elected to ‘Treat the Patient’ and not ‘Treat the Pathology Results’. A few months later she became symptomatic again.
The Osteoarthritis in her knees had resolved but the RA in her hands was not controlled.
More Patients
This lady did so well that 7 months later in November2009 I treated another six patients. One patient was a super responder, one was a non-responder, and the others had an average response. I published these results in the medical journal of my college.
In 2019 COVID came. COVID shut down all our research and our businesses. We closed our doors.
Now that COVID is stabilizing we have been able to continue our research. We will start a new clinic.
Now we treat the pain of Osteoarthritis because we have seen very good results. We know that the osteoarthritis in all of our patients progressed because they have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) so we study vascular changes in these patients. We have seen that more than half our patients have Central Sensitization (CS) so we study CS in our patients.
Dr Alireza Fallahi
Having graduated with first class honors he has continued to follow his passion helping people with their appearance and using stem cells to reduce pain and suffering.
Since moving to Australia to further his training he has over 1000 cases of Liposuction and Fat transfer. These are the procedures that he has focused on. His passion is to be recognized as a global leader in liposuction, fat transfer and the use of stem cells derived from fat. He is well known to his many Australian patients.
Dr Fallahi has enjoyed his work in clinical research. The heart felt joy and appreciation of his patients after stem cell therapy drives him to achieve more for his patients. The relief from pain, being able to sleep normally, return to work and simply being able to walk without limping. Not everyone responds well and he wants to know why. Research can give us these answers.
In Sydney he is working to set up a clinical trial treating low back pain from facet joints and osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. This trial will also explore the question of why some patients fail treatment and how to predict outcomes before treatment.
Dr Fallahi is working with a group of colleagues to establish a clinic that will mirror the research in Sydney and allow an expansion into related disorders. He will train other doctors in these procedures working closely with patients to assess their disorders and produce the best treatment plan for each patient.
Dr Ralph Bright
Having graduated from Otago University Medical School he worked first in family medicine.
After getting a diploma of laser surgery in 2001 he opened a cosmetic clinic. This was followed by a diploma of Liposuction with fat transfer. For many years he taught liposuction for his college. As an invited speaker to many conferences he met numerous experts around the world.
One of his highlights was to attend a workshop with the pioneer Dr Alfredo Hoyos.
Dr Bright was the first person in the world to treat a human with SVF. Her good results encouraged further research with colleagues. Several patents led to the establishment of a stem cell device company.
On the 9th of August 2013 The Hon. Marie Ficara (Parliamentary Secretary) presented a Certificate of Commendation to Dr Ralph Bright.
Retirement in 2019 has brought many fresh views and insights. Invitations from colleagues has prompted a return to teaching, consulting and mentorship. “We all have so much to learn, and what a joy that is.”