[TCT2007]Adipose stem cells show promise in preclinical cardiac work

Adult adipose stem cells appear to demonstrate synergy with endothelial progenitor cells in promoting vasculogenesis.

Adult adipose stem cells may be useful in vascular and cardiac applications, promoting robust vasculogenesis and protecting endothelial progenitor cells from apoptosis, according to Keith L. March, MD.

March, president of the International Federation of Adipose Therapeutics and Science (IFATS), presented a summary of the proceedings from the most recent IFATS medical and research conference.

Adipose stem cells have shown characteristics in preclinical work that compare favorably with several other cell-therapy agents under investigation, and clinical work with them to date has been characterized by safety and early efficacy, March said.

In preclinical investigations, adi¬pose stem cells have displayed a high degree of genomic stability in culture over time, both within populations and in clones, March said. These stem cells have significantly accelerated wound healing in both mice and pig models of full-thickness wounds. Delivery of cells in a semisolid matrix seems to be important to successful outcomes, he said.

In animal models, adipose stem cells can express multiple functional properties of hepatocytes. They also have shown the ability to reduce the amount of growth of human-derived tumor cells.

Translating to clinic

Adipose stem cells have been used in numerous centers for cosmetic and reconstructive applications in humans, March said. Safety and early efficacy were consistently manifested in more than 100 patients described at the IFATS meeting, he said. Applications in which adipose stem cells have been used include complete and partial mastectomy, breast reconstruction, cosmetic breast augmentation, and bone healing.

The safety shown in these investigations to date provides “an important benchmark for this field as it advances into humans,” March said.

Cardiac, vascular applications

Several groups at the IFATS meeting reported preclinical data supporting the ability of adipose stem cells to repair postischemic myocardial tissue, March said.

Of particular interest is evidence of cooperation between two human stem cell types, adipose stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells. In a chimeric adult human host, these cell types in combination demonstrate an apparent synergy, causing robust vasculogenesis and integration with host vasculature. It appears that the adipose stem cells provide an antiapoptotic effect on the endothelial progenitor cells, March said. The synergy may play a role in vascular stability as well as tissue generation, he said.

Next year, early human cardiovascular safety data will be reported from a number of centers in Europe and Asia, March said.