Concise Review: Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction Cells and Stem Cells: Let's Not Get Lost in Translation

Subcutaneous fat has emerged as an alternative tissue source for stromal/stem cells in regenerative medicine. Over the past decade, international research efforts have established a wealth of basic science and preclinical evidence regarding the differentiation potential and regenerative properties of both freshly processed, heterogeneous stromal vascular fraction cells and culture expanded, relatively homogeneous adipose-derived stromal/stem cells. The stage has been set for clinicians to translate adipose-derived cells from the bench to the bedside; however, this process will involve development steps that fall outside of traditional hypothesis-driven, mechanism-based paradigm. This concise review examines the next stages of the development process for therapeutic applications of adipose-derived cells and highlights the current state of the art regarding clinical trials. It is recommended that the experiments addressing these issues be reported comprehensively in the peer-review literature. This transparency will accelerate the standardization and reproducibility of adipose-derived cell therapies with respect to their efficacy and safety. STEM CELLS 2011; 29: 749-754