The growing importance of fat in regenerative medicine

A recent publication by Michael Longaker and colleagues represents a landmark for the use of adipose tissue as a source of cells for tissue regeneration. The authors investigated the ability of adipose tissuederived cells (ADCs) to regenerate critical size calvarial (superior portion of the skull) defects in mice by using a novel osteoconducive apatite-coated Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold for cell delivery. Direct comparison of this osteogenic ability was performed with bone marrow stromal cells and juvenile calvarial-derived osteoblasts.