Mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated from almost all tissues, including bone marrow, cartilage, fat, muscle and liver tissue, blood and amniotic liquid. Still, MSCs are mostly isolated from bone marrow despite the relative complex extraction procedure (bone marrow punctation performed under anesthesia) and the fact that the number of obtained cells is comparably small.

Adipose tissue - a natural resource of mesenchymal stem cells

 The extraction of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue (ASCs) is comparatively gentle and simple:

• Adipose tissue is easily accessible and can be harvested via liposuction (minimal invasive), eliminating the risk of anesthesia. This procedure is even feasible for slender patients since only small volumes (milliliter) of adipose tissue are needed for the stem cell extraction.
• Adipose tissue provides a potent reservoir of therapeutically effective mesenchymal stem cells. It contains about 500 – 1000 times more mesenchymal stem cells than bone marrow, and is available in large quantities.
• The amount of ASCs remains relative constant throughout lifetime, whereas the bone marrow stem cell content decreases drastically with age.