Good Manufacturing Practice-Compliant Cryopreserved and Thawed Native Adipose Tissue Ready for Fat Grafting

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering
• Cell Therapy

Background:

• Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells are crucial for clinical applications.
• Standardized cryopreservation protocols are needed for high-quality cell samples.
• Cryopreserving native adipose tissue under GMP conditions offers direct tissue reinfusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cryopreservation and thawing protocols for native adipose tissue.
• To assess the impact of GMP vs. research environments on cryopreservation.
• To determine the necessity of cryopreservation medium for adipose tissue storage.

Main Methods:

• Cryopreservation of 19 adipose tissue samples in liquid nitrogen vapors.
• Processing samples in both research and GMP-compliant environments.
• Characterization via flow cytometry before and after storage (1 week to 3 months).

Main Results:

• A nearly 50% loss of total nucleated cells occurred during cryopreservation and thawing.
• No significant differences were observed between Non-GMP and GMP processed samples.
• Cryopreservation without a cryopreservation medium was found to be ineffective.

Conclusions:

• Native adipose tissue can be a valuable cell source for regenerative medicine with proper processing.
• A notable difference in cell quality exists between fresh and cryopreserved adipose tissue.
• Standardized cryopreservation is vital for consistent and reliable cell yields.