Potential of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Regeneration Medicine: Clinical Application and Usefulness of Fat Grafting

Natsuko Kakudo, Naoki Morim

Abstract

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have the same multipotency as bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Thus, adipose tissue substitutes for bone marrow as a source of stem cells. Ideally, a method to isolate and differentiate ASCs should be established, and adipose tissue should be utilized as a source of stem cells for regenerative medicine. Manual and automatic stem cell separation procedures are employed to separate ASCs from adipose tissue. In this chapter, we describe the potential of adipose-derived stem cells for regeneration medicine: clinical application and usefulness of fat grafting.