Characterization of Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs) From Excess Tissue and Cells Designated for Discard From Patients With Chronic Heart Disease

Human adipose tissue is now recognized as an acceptable, highly abundant source of adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs). ADRCs are a heterogeneous or mixed population of cells found in adipose tissue including adult stem cells, leukocytes, connective tissue and vessel-associated cells. Autologous adult regenerative cells are thought to promote healing of scarred or injured tissue. While the investigators are learning more about the exact mechanisms every day, it is believed that this heterogeneous population of cells influences the local environment via cell-to-cell signaling, immune modulation, and differentiation into other cell types. The use of ADRCs in the treatment of many different medical conditions (including cardiovascular disease, soft tissue defects, wound healing, and many more) is being evaluated in numerous clinical and preclinical studies around the world. While there is a considerable amount of information regarding the cellular composition of ADRCs isolated from healthy donors, basically there is no much data regarding the ADRC composition from cardiac patients. In this study, adipose tissue or cells from chronic heart ischemia patients, that would otherwise be thrown away in waste, will be provided to researchers who will study these cells with the objective to characterize ADRCs derived from patients with a heart disease and to compare if a heart disease state does impact ADRC cell composition.