(Reuters) - Stem cells derived from a patient's bone marrow can help treat severe heart failure, but the results are even better when they are taken from fat, a leading researcher said, citing his experience in a number of studies. 

"It's no longer a question whether the bone marrow cells work or don't work; they do work when you have healthy stem cells," Dr. James Willerson of the Texas Heart Institute said in an interview. "The search now is to find the very best stem cell type or types.

 

"And at the moment, I'd say the best stem cells are fat-derived cells and stem cells that reside in the heart called c-KIT positive stem cells," he said before presenting findings of his latest research at the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago.