"Where Your Eyes Don't Go" When Considering Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells

By Jonathan Carson

Regardless of your favorite nomenclature for adipose tissue-derived hMSCs (hAD-MSCs, [4] MSC(AT), [5] AT-MSCs [6]), there really is more beneath their story than meets the eye. The instinct behind this attention has driven RoosterBio’s work with them since before 2015.

In this blog we share data that when viewed superficially, it’s tempting to glibly assume that these trials heavily favor autologous-administered hAD-MSCs over allogeneic. As we and others have noted, adipose-derived MSCs (aka “Adipose Stem Cells” or “ASCs”) do provide an abundant source of cellular material that’s much easier to extract than from bone marrow, and, also easier to isolate a homogeneous population than from umbilical cords. At a patient’s bedside, one could realistically get 1+ liters from the lipoplasty, isolate the cells via the tissue’s stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and then re-implant a dose of 100s of millions of hAD-MSCs. Using automated closed system instruments like Cytori’s Celution®, such could be envisaged to occur in just one day’s hospital visit. The potential ease of access to hAD-MSC material thus beckons a question: If getting a minimum cell dose does not constrain autologous hAD-MSCs because of the high-volume sample, why risk new challenges related to allogeneic donor sourcing, banking, and quality control?

Lo and behold, the last decade shows us a trend that bucks the conventional wisdom. When we segment the numbers of annual hAD-MSC trials into autologous and allogeneic groups, there’s a surprise. Continue reading to learn more.