Study Begins on Chemical Liposuction
June 20 -- Many people have dreams of melting the fat in their body away.
So far the closest anyone has come to literally ridding the body of fat in a day is liposuction. But for many the ordeal doesn't seem worth it.
Now that scientists have found a substance that melts away the fat in mice, many are hoping it will do the same for humans.
An Accidental Discovery
New York City plastic surgeon Zachary Gerut was researching the enzyme collagenase to see if it broke down scar tissue or adhesions. By accident, he found the enzyme liquefies fat in lab animals.
"We looked a couple weeks after administration of the medication. The adhesions were still there, but all the fat was gone from inside the belly," said Gerut.
Biospecifics Technologies of Lynbrook, N.Y., pioneered the use of collagenase for wound healing and severe burns. It has been proven to be safe for such use.
The Food and Drug Administration has given researchers the OK to start testing collagenase in humans, and a study is in the works.
Patients hope the procedure will be less arduous than liposuction.
With liposuction, "you're sore like you've had a rough workout or the worst beating of your life," said patient Mindy Lepper. "I'd rather have an injection rather than surgery."
More than 800,000 people have surgery to remove fat each year in the United States.
ABCNEWS' Dr. Anna Marie contributed to this report.
