Adipose: Existing or Potential Regenerative Medicine Strategies

A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to self-renew and differentiate into one or more types of cells. Therefore, stem cells hold great promise for regeneration and repair of tissues. Recent study has focused on their use for the treatment of Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, cancer, myocardial infarction injuries, breast reconstruction, diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, and much more. Unlike the embryologic stem cells that aroused much controversy, adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are derived from adults and are noncontroversial. Furthermore, research suggests ASCs are a better stem cell source than the conventional mesenchymal stem cells—the bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs).