Cytori Therapeutics Inc. said Friday it received approval to sell its PureGraft system, which can remove fat tissue from a patient and prepare it for re-injection in about 15 minutes.
Cytori said PureGraft is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved device that can perform cosmetic "body contouring" procedures using a patient's own fat. It will start marketing PureGraft in the first quarter of this year, with a formal launch scheduled for May at the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
The San Diego company said the system can be used for small and large volumes of fat. The company said more than 46,000 fat grafting procedures were performed in the U.S. in 2008. Cytori has also applied for marketing approval in the European Union, and said it expects to gain it in the first half of this year.
In premarket trading, shares of Cytori Therapeutics rose $1.04, or 16 percent, to $7.52. The stock closed at $6.48 Thursday.