title: Stem cells from adipose tissue allow challenging new concepts for regenerative medicine.
abstract: The perspective of an innovative new concept integrating tissue-engineering techniques with an established surgical technique is described. The focus is primarily on a one-step surgical procedure using adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, a calcium phosphate scaffold as a carrier, and a bioresorbable polymer cage to facilitate spinal interbody fusion. We address the harvesting and processing of clinically relevant quantities of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, triggering of these stem cells toward lineage-specific differentiation, seeding of the triggered stem cells on a bioresorbable scaffold, and implantation of the resulting tissue-engineered construct. The integrated steps can be accomplished within one surgical procedure in a surgical theater. Although the proposed concept has been developed for spinal fusion, potential application in other surgical disciplines is presumed realistic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, VU University Medical Center (VUMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.helder@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Marco N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Helder
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knippenberg
authors.forename: Jenneke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klein-Nulend
authors.forename: Paul I J M
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Wuisman
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000639:trends