The stromal compartment of adipose tissue harbors mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (also called stromal stem cells) that display extensive proliferative capacity and multilineage differentiation potential. Such cells offer a practical avenue of generating patient-matched tissue for use in regenerative medicine. It is relatively easy to isolate these cells from adipose tissue in large enough quantities (tens of millions) to allow for their clinical use in a native, uncultured form. Alternatively, MSCs from adipose tissue can be expanded and differentiated into the desired tissue type in vitro using straightforward cell culture techniques. In this chapter, we outline procedures for isolating large numbers of highly purified MSCs from human adipose tissue in their native, uncultured form and methods for their subsequent expansion and differentiation in vitro.
