Basic science review on adipose tissue for clinicians
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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Identification and Dissection of Diverse Mouse Adipose Depots
Published on: July 11, 2019
Spencer A Brown1, Benjamin Levi, Charlotte Lequex
1Dallas, Texas; and Stanford, Calif. From the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Abstract:
The recognition that fat contains stem cells has driven further examination into the potential uses of fat and adipose-derived stem cells in a wide number of clinical situations. New information about the harvesting, isolation, and subsequent differentiation properties of isolated adipose-derived stem cells has led to new research into novel tissue-engineered constructs and the transformation of adipose-derived stem cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. Clinically, use of fat grafts and adipose-derived stem cells worldwide and in the United States has dramatically increased in parallel to questions concerning the safety and efficacy of adipose-derived stem cell-based treatments. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of isolated adipose-derived stem cells for medical indications.
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