Adipose-derived Adult Stem Research Articles

In vivo confocal microscopy evaluation of infiltrated immune cells in corneal stroma treated with cell therapy in advanced keratoconus

PurposeThis study investigates immune cell (ICs) infiltration in advanced keratoconus patients undergoing autologous adipose-derived adult stem cell (ADASC) therapy with recellularized human donor corneal laminas (CL).MethodsA prospective clinical trial included fourteen patients divided into three groups: G-1, ADASCs; G-2, decellularized CL (dCL); and G-3, dCL recellularized with ADASCs (ADASCs-rCL). Infiltrated ICs were assessed using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) at 1,3,6, and12 months post-transplant.ResultsInfiltrated ICs, encompassing granulocytes and agranulocytes, were observed across all groups, categorized by luminosity, structure, and area. Stromal ICs infiltration ranged from 1.19% to 6.62%, with a consistent increase in group-related cell density (F = 10.68, P < .0001), independent of post-op time (F = 0.77, P = 0.511); the most substantial variations were observed in G-3 at 6 and 12 months (2.0 and 1.87-fold, respectively). Similarly, significant size increases were more group-dependent (F = 5.76, P < .005) rather than time-dependent (F = 2.84, P < .05); G-3 exhibited significant increases at 6 and 12 months (3.70-fold and 2.52-fold, respectively). A lamina-induced shift in IC size occurred (F = 110.23, P < .0001), primarily with 50–100 μm2 sizes and up to larger cells > 300μm2, presumably macrophages, notably in G-3, indicating a potential role in tissue repair and remodeling, explaining reductions in cells remnants < 50μm2.ConclusionsADASCs-rCL therapy may lead to increased IC infiltration compared to ADASCs alone, impacting cell distribution and size due to the presence of the lamina. The findings reveal intricate immune patterns shaped by the corneal microenvironment and highlight the importance of understanding immune responses for the development of future therapeutic strategies.

Identification of mesenchymal stem cells based on the passaging effect using machine learning approaches.

For diseases that lack efficient therapeutic approaches, stem cell therapy is an emerging alternative treatment, wherein cell quality assessment is an essential step before cell transplantation into patients. Cell quality is generally evaluated using approaches, such as immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, which involve complex laboratory routines. In this milieu, several studies have demonstrated the feasibility of applying image processing and analysis to assist cell quality assessment more efficiently. We developed an image-based analytical tool using cell tracking, cytometric analyses, and gating with time-lapse microscopy to investigate the migratory behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured on chitosan membranes. Using this tool, systematic studies were carried out to inspect variations in cell quality by extracting two morphological and seven migratory features of cells of interest. We found that chitosan membrane-induced multi-cellular spheroids move at a higher speed and in a more consistent direction than single cells. The hMSCs showed a tendency to aggregate with strong 3-D spheroid formability and increased mobility during maturation; however, both these tendencies decreased with degeneration. Furthermore, we automated the cell quality assessment procedure by utilizing machine learning. We selected 570 hMSCs, 390 adipose-derived adult stem cells (hADSCs) and 180 human placenta-derived multipotent cells (hPDMCs), with complete movement trajectories from 25 videos, at three different passages. The differentiation accuracy between hADSCs and hPDMCs in the mature passage was 96.3%, which was higher than that in the early (82.6%) and late (80.5%) passages, whereas the accuracy of passage identification was 62.8% for hADSCs and 70.6% for hPDMCs. The limited accuracy of passage identification may be owing to the insufficient number of morphological features. This study shows the potential of applying machine learning in monitoring the quality of stem cells during in vitro culture.

Three-dimensional printing of chitosan cryogel as injectable and shape recoverable scaffolds

Cryogel has macroporous structure and advantages of mechanical stability and injectability for biomedical applications. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a customized manufacturing technology. However, there is little research on 3D printing of cryogel. In this work, we developed a 3D-printable chitosan cryogel using difunctional polyurethane nanoparticles as the crosslinker that reacted with chitosan at 4 °C for 4 h to form a stable feeding hydrogel (pre-cryogel) for 3D printing. The printed pre-cryogel was frozen at −20 °C to form 3D-printed chitosan cryogel. The 3D-printed cryogel had properties similar to those of bulk cryogel such as high compressibility, elastic recovery, and water absorption (≈3200%). Results from cell experiments indicated that the 3D-printed chitosan cryogel scaffolds provided good mechanical integrity for proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived adult stem cells. The 3D-printed chitosan cryogel scaffolds with injectability and shape recovery property are potential biomaterials for customized tissue engineering and minimally invasive surgery.

Clinical, Trichoscopic And Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Autologous Adipose Derived Adult Stem Cell Injection in the Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss

Abstract Background Cellular and cell-derived components of adipose-derived tissue for the purposes of dermatologic and aesthetic rejuvenation applications have become increasingly studied and integrated into clinical practice. The hair follicle goes through phases of growth, regression, and quiescence, and it is suspected that adipocytes secrete factors to promote activation of hair follicles dermal papilla cells, increasing migration, and proliferation in vitro; as well as increasing conversion of hair follicles from the telogen to anagen phase in vivo. Objectives Evaluation of efficacy and safety of adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADSCs) injection in hair follicle regeneration in female pattern hair loss (FPHL). Methods 33 patients were included and divided into 3 groups according to Sinclair’s classification according to severity. ADSCs were extracted from lipoaspirate and injected into the frontoparietal scalp. Patients were assessed clinically, trichoscopically and immunohistochemically. Results At week 24, there was improvement of hair thickness and count, both in frontal and occipital areas. Histopathological and immunohistochemical assessment at week 12 showed decrease of perifollicular inflammation and decrease of DKK-1 immunostaining. Conclusion The use of ADSCs in treatment of FPHL in subjects included in this study showed improvement of perifollicular inflammation, in addition to density and thickness of hair.

Corneal Stromal Regeneration: A Review of Human Clinical Studies in Keratoconus Treatment.

The use of advanced therapies with stem cells to reconstruct the complex tissue of corneal stroma has gained interest in recent years. Besides, collagen-based scaffolds bioengineering has been offered as another alternative over the last decade. The outcomes of the first clinical experience with stem cells therapy on corneal stroma regeneration in patients with advanced keratoconus were recently reported. Patients were distributed into three experimental groups: Group 1 (G-1) patients underwent implantation of autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADASCs) alone, Group 2 (G-2) received a 120 μm decellularized donor corneal stromal laminas, and Group 3 (G-3) received a 120 μm recellularized donor laminas with ADASCs. A follow up of 36 months of clinical data, and 12 months of confocal microscopy study was performed, the authors found significant clinical improvement in almost all studied mean values of primary and secondary outcomes. Corneal confocal microscopy demonstrated an increase in cell density in the host stroma, as well as in the implanted tissue. Using different approaches, allogenic small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) implantation was applied in cases with advanced keratoconus. Some authors reported the implantation of SMILE intrastromal lenticules combined with accelerated collagen cross-linking. Others performed intrastromal implantation of negative meniscus-shaped corneal stroma lenticules. Others have compared the outcomes of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) vs. small-incision Intralase femtosecond (IFS) intracorneal concave lenticule implantation (SFII). Femtosecond laser-assisted small incision sutureless intrasotromal lamellar keratoplasty (SILK) has been also investigated. The published evidence shows that the implantation of autologous ADASCs, decellularized or recellularized human corneal stroma, allogenic SMILE lenticules corneal inlay, and recombinant cross-linked collagen have shown initially to be potentially effective for the treatment of advanced keratoconus. In light of the present evidence available, it can be said that the era of corneal stromal regeneration therapy has been already started.

Corneal Stromal Regeneration Therapy for Advanced Keratoconus: Long-term Outcomes at 3 Years.

To report the 3-year clinical outcomes of corneal stromal cell therapy consisting of the intrastromal implantation with autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADASCs), and decellularized or ADASC-recellularized human donor corneal laminas in advanced keratoconus. Fourteen patients were enrolled in 3 experimental groups. Group 1 (G-1) patients underwent implantation of ADASCs alone (3 × 10⁶ cells/1 mL) (n = 5). Group 2 (G-2) patients received a 120-μm decellularized corneal stroma lamina (n = 5). Group 3 (G-3) patients received a 120-μm lamina recellularized with ADASCs (1 × 10⁶ cells/1 mL) (n = 4). ADASCs were obtained by elective liposuction. Implantation was performed into a femtosecond pocket under topical anesthesia. At 3 years, a significant improvement of 1 to 2 logMAR lines in uncorrected distance visual acuity was observed in all groups. A statistically significant decrease in corrected distance visual acuity was obtained in G-2 and G-3 (P < 0.001) when compared with that of G-1. Rigid contact lens distance visual acuity showed a statistically significant worsening in G-2 (P < 0.001) compared with that of G-1. A statistically significant increase in central corneal thickness was observed in G-2 (P = 0.012) and G-3 (P < 0.001); in the Scheimpflug corneal topography, the thinnest point was observed in G-2 (P = 0.007) and G-3 (P = 0.001) when compared with that of G-1. Intrastromal implantation of ADASCs and decellularized or ADASC-recellularized human corneal stroma laminas did not have complications at 3 years. The technique showed a moderate improvement in (uncorrected distance visual acuity) and (corrected distance visual acuity) in advanced keratoconus.

Systematic review of clinical research on regenerative medicine for the cornea.

To conduct a systematic review of clinical research on the use of regenerative medicine for the cornea in human patients. A systematic literature search of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was performed in May 2020. Forty-two articles were identified. Thirty-eight of those articles focused on the treatment for limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), of which 17 articles involved autologous cultured limbal epithelial cell sheet transplantation (CLET), 13 involved allogeneic CLET, and 14 involved autologous cultured oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet transplantation (COMET). For autologous CLET, the median ocular surface reconstruction rate, visual recovery rate, incidence of immunologic rejection, infectious keratitis, and ocular hypertension/glaucoma were 74.1%, 54.5%, 0%, 4.6%, and 6.3%, respectively. For allogeneic CLET, they were 71.4%, 71.4%, 7.1%, 12.0%, and 7.1%, respectively. For autologous COMET, they were 66.7%, 66.7%, 0%, 5.3%, and 8.1%, respectively. Systemic immunosuppressants and steroid medications were predominantly used following allogeneic CLET, whereas they were not routinely used after autologous CLET. Three studies focused on the treatment of keratoconus using autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells and reported no marked adverse events. One study reported on the treatment of bullous keratopathy using allogeneic cultured corneal endothelial cells. All patients achieved an endothelial cell density of >500 cells, and the corrected distance visual acuity improved in 82% of the treated eyes. The results show that regenerative medicine for the cornea demonstrated a satisfactory efficacy and safety. Through translational research, we are expecting to establish a new treatment for waiting patients.

Corneal Stroma Regeneration: New Approach for the Treatment of Cornea Disease.

Corneal grafting is one of the most common forms of human tissue transplantation. The corneal stroma is responsible for many characteristics of the cornea. For these reasons, an important volume of research has been made to replicate the corneal stroma in the laboratory to find an alternative to classical corneal transplantation techniques.There is an increasing interest today in cell therapy of the corneal stroma using induced pluripotent stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells since these cells have shown to be capable of producing new collagen within the host stroma and even to improve its transparency.The first clinical experiment on corneal stroma regeneration in advanced keratoconus cases has been reported and included. Fourteen patients were randomized and enrolled into 3 experimental groups: (1) patients underwent implantation of autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells alone, (2) patients received decellularized donor corneal stroma laminas, and (3) patients received implantation of recellularized donor laminas with adipose-derived adult stem cells. Clinical improvement was detected with all cases in their visual, pachymetric, and topographic parameters of the operated corneas.Other recent studies have used allogenic SMILE implantation lenticule corneal inlays, showing also an improvement in different visual, topographic, and keratometric parameters.In the present report, we try to summarize the available preclinical and clinical evidence about the emerging topic of corneal stroma regeneration.

Ozone Activates the Nrf2 Pathway and Improves Preservation of Explanted Adipose Tissue In Vitro.

In clinical practice, administration of low ozone (O3) dosages is a complementary therapy for many diseases, due to the capability of O3 to elicit an antioxidant response through the Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2)-dependent pathway. Nrf2 is also involved in the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, and low O3 concentrations have been shown to stimulate lipid accumulation in human adipose-derived adult stem cells in vitro. Thus, O3 treatment is a promising procedure to improve the survival of explanted adipose tissue, whose reabsorption after fat grafting is a major problem in regenerative medicine. In this context, we carried out a pilot study to explore the potential of mild O3 treatment in preserving explanted murine adipose tissue in vitro. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used. Exposure to low O3 concentrations down in the degradation of the explanted adipose tissue and induced a concomitant increase in the protein abundance of Nrf2 and in the expression of its target gene Hmox1. These findings provide a promising background for further studies aimed at the clinical application of O3 as an adjuvant treatment to improve fat engraftment.

Regenerative Surgery of the Corneal Stroma for Advanced Keratoconus: 1-Year Outcomes

This study evaluated 1-year safety and efficacy outcomes of corneal stroma cell therapy. Therapy consisted of implanting autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADASc) with or without sheets of decellularized donor human corneal stroma within the stroma of patients with advanced keratoconus. This was a prospective interventional non-randomized series of cases. Fourteen consecutive patients were selected and divided into 3 experimental groups. Group A patients underwent implantation of autologous ADASc alone (3× 106 cells/1mL) (n= 5). Group B patients received decellularized donor 120-μm-thick corneal stroma lamina alone (n= 5). Group C patients had implantation of recellularized donor lamina with 1× 106 autologous ADASc plus another 1× 106 cells/1mL at the time of the surgery (n= 4). Autologous ADASc were obtained by elective liposuction. Implantation was performed in the corneal stroma through a femtosecond-assisted 9.5-mm diameter lamellar dissection with the patient under topical anesthesia. Twelve months of follow-up data are presented. No complications were observed during the 1-year follow-up, and full corneal transparency was recovered within 3months in all patients. No patient lost lines of visual acuity. Corrected distance visual acuity improved 0.231, 0.264, and 0.094 Snellen lines in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In group 1, refractive parameters showed an overall stability, whereas in groups 2 and 3, sphere improved 2.35 diopter (D) and 0.625 D, respectively. Anterior keratometry remained stable (group 1) and improved in groups 2 and 3 (mean improvement of 2D). Corneal aberrometry improved significantly. In optical coherence tomography scans, corneal thickness showed a mean improvement of 14.5μm (group 1) and 116.4μm (groups 2 and 3) in the central thickness, and new collagen production was observed at the surgical plane (group 1). Confocal biomicroscopy confirmed the host recellularization of the implanted laminas. Intrastromal implantation of autologous ADASc and decellularized human corneal stroma did not show complications at 1 year of follow-up and were moderately effective for the treatment of advanced keratoconus. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored bythe American Ophthalmological Society.

Low ozone concentrations promote adipogenesis in human adipose-derived adult stem cells.

Ozone is a strong oxidant, highly unstable atmospheric gas. Its medical use at low concentrations has been progressively increasing as an alternative/adjuvant treatment for several diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of mild ozonisation on human adipose-derived adult stem (hADAS) cells i.e., mesenchymal stem cells occurring in the stromal-vascular fraction of the fat tissue and involved in the tissue regeneration processes. hADAS cells were induced to differentiate into the adipoblastic lineage, and the effect of low ozone concentrations on the adipogenic process was studied by combining histochemical, morphometric and ultrastructural analyses. Our results demonstrate that ozone treatment promotes lipid accumulation in hADAS cells without inducing deleterious effects, thus paving the way to future studies aimed at elucidating the effect of mild ozonisation on adipose tissue for tissue regeneration and engineering.

Corneal Stroma Enhancement With Decellularized Stromal Laminas With or Without Stem Cell Recellularization for Advanced Keratoconus

This phase 1 study seeks to preliminarily evaluate the safety and efficacy of decellularized human corneal stromal lamina transplantation with or without autologous adipose-derived adult stem cell recellularization within the corneal stroma of patients with advanced keratoconus. Phase 1 clinical trial. Femtosecond-assisted 120-μm thickness and 9-mm diameter laminas were obtained from the anterior stroma of human donor corneas and decellularized with a sodium dodecyl sulfate solution. Autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells were obtained by elective liposuction and cultured onto both sides of the lamina. Five patients received the decellularized lamina alone and 4 patients the recellularized lamina into a femtosecond-assisted 9.5-mm diameter lamellar pocket under topical anesthesia. The total duration of follow-up was 6months. No case showed clinical haze or scarring by month 3. Six months after surgery, patients showed a general improvement of all visual parameters, with a mean unaided visual acuity from 0.109 to 0.232 (P= .05) and corrected distance visual acuity from 0.22 to 0.356 (P= .068). Refractive sphere improved in all patients (from-4.55 diopters [D] to-2.69 D; P= .017), but refractive cylinder remained stable (from-2.83 to-2.61; P= .34). An improvement tendency of all anterior keratometric values was observed. A mean improvement of 120μm in all thickness parameters was confirmed (P= .008), as well as an improvement in the spherical aberration (P= .018), coma (P= .23) and total higher order aberrations (P= .31). No significant differences among groups were detected. Decellularized human corneal stromal laminas transplantation seems safe and moderately effective for advanced keratoconus. Potential benefits of its recellularization with autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells remains unclear.

Innovative approach to safely induce controlled lipolysis by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-mediated hyperthermic treatment.

During last years, evidence has been provided on the involvement of overweight and obesity in the pathogenesis and aggravation of several life-threatening diseases. Here, we demonstrate that, under appropriate administration conditions, polyhedral iron oxide nanoparticles are efficiently and safely taken up by 3T3 cell line-derived adipocytes (3T3 adipocytes) in vitro. Since these nanoparticles proved to effectively produce heat when subjected to alternating magnetic field, 3T3 adipocytes were submitted to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-mediated hyperthermia treatment (SMHT), with the aim of modulating their lipid content. Notably, the treatment resulted in a significant delipidation persisting for at least 24h, and in the absence of cell death, damage or dedifferentiation. Interestingly, transcript expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), a key gene involved in canonical lipolysis, was not modulated upon SMHT, suggesting the involvement of a novel/alternative mechanism in the effective lipolysis observed. By applying the same experimental conditions successfully used for 3T3 adipocytes, SMHT was able to induce delipidation also in primary cultures of human adipose-derived adult stem cells. The success of this pioneering approach in vitro opens promising perspectives for the application of SMHT in vivo as an innovative safe and physiologically mild strategy against obesity, potentially useful in association with balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Reovirus safety study for proliferation and differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Naturally occurring reoviruses are live replication-proficient viruses specifically infecting human cancer cells while sparing the normal counterparts. Stem cells can be highly susceptible to viral infection due to their innate high proliferation potential and other active signaling pathways of cells that might be involved in viral tropism. In the previous study, we showed that reoviruses could adversely affect murine embryonic stem cells' integrity in vitro and in vivo. Oncolytic viruses, delivered systemically face many hurdles that also impede their localization and infection of, metastatic tumors, due to a variety of immune and physical barriers. To overcome such hurdles to systemic delivery, several studies supported the idea that certain types of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, might play a role as cell carriers for oncolytic viruses. Thus, it would be interesting to examine whether human adult stem cells such as human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells could be saved by the reoviral challenge. In this study, we report that biological activities such as proliferation and multipotency of human adipose-derived stem cells are not affected by wild-type reovirus challenge as evidenced by survival, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential assays following treatment with reoviruses. Therefore, unlike murine embryonic stem cells, our study strongly suggests that human adipose-derived adult stem cells could be spared in vivo during wild-type reoviral anti-cancer therapeutics in a clinical setting. Furthermore, the results support the possible clinical use of human adipose-derived stem cells as an effective cell carrier of oncolytic reovirus to maximize their tumor tropism and anti-tumor activity.

Autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells injection versus platelet-rich plasma injection in the treatment of rolling postacne scars

BackgroundAdipose tissue-derived adult stem cells (AT-ASCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been used for rejuvenation and tissue regeneration owing to their role in collagen synthesis and angiogenesis, thus enhancing tissue remodeling.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate and compare t

Effect of an Epineurial-Like Biohybrid Nerve Conduit on Nerve Regeneration

A novel approach of making a biomimetic nerve conduit was established by seeding adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADSCs) on the external wall of porous poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PLA) nerve conduits. The PLA conduits were fabricated using gas foaming salt and solvent-nonsolvent phase conversion. We examined the effect of two different porous structures (GS and GL) on ADSC growth and proliferation. The GS conduits had better structural stability, permeability, and porosity, as well as better cell viability at 4, 7, and 10 days. The epineurial-like tissue was grown from ADSC-seeded conduits cultured for 7 days in vitro and then implanted into 10-mm rat sciatic nerve defects for evaluation. The regeneration capacity and functional recovery were evaluated by histological staining, electrophysiology, walking track, and functional gait analysis after 6 weeks of implantation. Experimental data indicated that the autograft and ADSC-seeded GS conduits had better functional recovery than the blank conduits and ADSC-seeded GL conduits. The area of regenerated nerve and number of myelinated axons quantified based on the histology also indicated that the autograft and AGS groups performed better than the other two groups. We suggested that ADSCs may interact with endogenous Schwann cells and release neurotrophic factors to promote peripheral nerve regeneration. The design of the conduit may be critical for producing a biohybrid nerve conduit and to provide an epineurial-like support.

Self-patterning of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and chondrocytes cocultured on hyaluronan-grafted chitosan surface.

The articular cartilage, once injured, has a limited capacity for intrinsic repair. Preparation of functionally biocartilage substitutes in vitro for cartilage repair is an attractive concept with the recent advances in tissue engineering. In this study, adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADAS) and chondrocytes (Ch) were cocultured in different population ratios on the surface of hyaluronan-grafted chitosan (CS-HA) membranes. The two types of cells could self-assemble into cospheroids with different morphologies. In particular, when ADAS and Ch were cocultured at an initial ratio of 7:3 on CS-HA surface, the expression of chondrogenic markers was upregulated, leading to preferred chondrogenesis of the cospheroids. Therefore, using the ADAS/Ch 7:3 cospheroids derived on CS-HA surface instead of using only a single type of cells may be favorable for future therapeutic applications.

The Role of Nanofat Grafting in Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: A Preliminary Report.

Since the discovery of adipose-derived adult stem (ADAS) cells in adipose tissue [1], many studies have articulated a new concept of lipofilling, which is no longer seen as adipocyte grafting, but rather as stem cell transplantation.

Adipose-derived adult stem cells and new technique for intracavernosal injection for erectile dysfunction: novel approach to treat diabetes mellitus. Erectus Shot Technique

Adipose-derived adult stem cells and new technique for intracavernosal injection for erectile dysfunction: novel approach to treat diabetes mellitus. Erectus Shot Technique

Improving cellularisation of tissue endgineered vascular grafts using functionalised peptide hydrogels

Tissue engineered vascular grafts have the potential to replace saphenous vein for multiple small diameter (<6mm) coronary artery bypass grafts, which offer relatively poor long term patency rates, often leading to repeat surgeries. Despite their potential, first generation vascular grafts have failed to provide superior patency rates when compared to saphenous vein grafts. One of main reasons for early graft failure is thrombus formation, which is attributed to an inadequate or absent luminal endothelial monolayer. In this study we aimed to determine whether the incorporation of a small mimetic peptide (RGDS) to functionalise a peptide hydrogel improves cell attachment, growth and survival of seeded cells. Gels were synthesised using standard solid-phase peptide synthesis protocols on a CEM “Liberty” microwave-assisted peptide synthesizer. Human adipose-derived adult stem cells were seeded onto the peptide hydrogels with and without an incorporated RGDS cell adhesion peptide (RGDS+ and RGDS- hydrogel). Cells were fixed and permeabilised, stained with DAPI (nuclei) and Phalloidin (actin), and imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The RGDS+ hydrogel showed increased cell number and enhanced distribution compared to the RGDS- hydrogel. Cells showed enhanced infiltration on the RGDS+ hydrogel and looked morphologically healthy on both gels. Our initial findings suggest incorporating a specific RGDS mimetic peptide into a peptide hydrogel can beneficially affect cell behaviour, perhaps through enhanced adherence and survival. We will incorporate these with a PLGA scaffold and determine its potential as a tissue engineered graft in a bioreactor in future studies.