Stem Cell-Based Soft Tissue Grafts for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeries

Abstract

Adipose tissue is often a key structure to restore in reconstructive and augmentative surgeries. Current materials for soft tissue reconstruction or augmentation suffer from shortcomings such as suboptimal volume retention, donor site morbidity, and poor biocompatibility. A series of experiments are presented here to describe our stem cell-based approach to engineering human adipose tissue with predefined shape and dimensions. These findings indicate the real possibility that biologically viable adipose tissue can be engineered by taking a teaspoon full of tissue fluid containing the patient's adult stem cells, expanding them, differentiating them into adipogenic cells, and encapsulating them into appropriate biocompatible polymer materials. The end result is anticipated to be minimal donor site trauma related to needle size, immune compatibility because the patient's own stem cells are used, and long-term volume maintenance because stem cells are capable of replenishing adipogenic cells to retain the predefined shape and dimensions of the engineered soft tissue. Upcoming challenges include long-term volume maintenance, tissue maturation, angiogenesis, scaling up, and host tissue integration. Conceptually, stem cell-derived soft tissue grafts are realizable in plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures.