Abstract

Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived from Human Adipose Tissue: A New Perspective on Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy

Gregorio Chazenbalk, Research Associate, University of California-Los Angeles

In 2010, Multilineage Differentiating Stress Enduring (Muse) cells were introduced to the scientific community, offering potential resolution to the issue of teratoma formation that plagues both embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells. Human Muse cells can be isolated from bone marrow, adipose tissue, dermal fibroblasts and commercially available adipose stem cells (ASCs). Furthermore, Muse cells express classic pluripotency markers and differentiate into cells from the three embryonic germ layers both spontaneously and under media-specific induction. Muse cells self-renew in a controlled manner and do not form teratomas when injected into immune-deficient mice. When transplanted in vivo, Muse cells contribute to tissue generation and repair. Muse cells are inherently resistant to cellular stress, and genetically resilient to DNA damage, supporting their application for the investigation of age-related and degenerative diseases. Moreover, because Muse cells possess a pre-perturbation and an intrinsic propensity for quiescence, they may have the potential to elucidate new avenues of cancer research, specifically with regards to the mechanism behind quiescence, and malignancy.  Finally, and perhaps most thrillingly, Muse cells could be harvested for the purposes of creating autologous stem cell banks. Because of their differentiation capacity, Muse cells could be utilized to regenerate any type of tissue and thus treat neurological and immune disorders, and injuries to critical organs such as the heart and brain. Muse cells can be isolated from adipose tissue (Muse-AT cells), for example from lipoaspirate material which is easily accessible, abundant, and, non-invasively extracted from the human body for both medical and cosmetic purposes. Hundreds of millions of adipose cells can be extracted from a mere 1-2 liters of tissue, enhancing the number of extractable Muse-AT cells. This conference presentation will delve into the aspects of Muse c