The present invention provides adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), adipose-derived stem cell-enriched fractions (ADSC-EF) and adipose-derived lattices, alone and combined with the ADSCs of the invention. In one aspect, the present invention provides an ADSC substantially free of adipocytes and red blood cells and clonal populations of connective tissue stem cells. The ADSCs can be employed, alone or within biologically-compatible compositions, to generate differentiated tissues and structures, both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, the ADSCs can be expanded and cultured to produce molecules such as hormones, and to provide conditioned culture media for supporting the growth and expansion of other cell populations. In another aspect, the present invention provides an adipose-derived lattice substantially devoid of cells, which includes extracellular matrix material from adipose tissue. The lattice can be used as a substrate to facilitate the growth and differentiation of cells, whether in vivo or in vitro, into anlagen or even mature tissues or structures.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/952,522, filed Sep. 10, 2001 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/936,665, filed Sep. 10, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,231, which corresponds to PCT 371 Application No. PCT/US00/06232, filed Mar. 10, 2000, which claims the priority of U.S. Ser. No. 60/123,711, filed Mar. 10, 1999 and U.S. Ser. No. 60/162,462, filed Oct. 29, 1999, the contents of all of which are incorporated by reference into the present application.
Throughout this application, various publications are referenced. The disclosures of these publications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
