Stem cells from adipose tissue allow challenging new concepts for regenerative medicine

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.