Comparison of SVF and Passaged ASCs as Point-of-Care Agents for Bone Regeneration

Large craniofacial bone defects remain a clinical challenge due to their complex shapes and large volumes. Stem cell-based technologies that deliver osteogenic stem cells have shown remarkable regenerative potential but are hampered by the need for extensive in vitro manipulation prior to implantation. To address this, we explored the bone forming potential of the clinically-relevant stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells obtained from human lipoaspirate. SVF cells can be isolated for acute use in the operating room and contain a sub-population of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) that can develop mineralized tissue. ASCs can be purified from the more heterogeneous population of SVF cells via secondary and tertiary culture on tissue culture plastic. In this study, the relative potential for using SVF cells or passaged ASCs to induce robust bone regeneration was compared. Isogenic SVF and ASCs were suspended in fibrin hydrogels and seeded in 3D-printed osteoinductive scaffolds of decellularized bone matrix ...