Strategies for Human Adipose Tissue Repair and Regeneration

Abstract

In plastic and reconstructive surgery there is an increasing demand for malleable implants to repair soft tissue congeni-tal defects, or those resulting from aging, traumatic injury and tumour resection. However, currently available methods present a number of limitations such as volume loss over time and eventual resorption of the graft. Tissue engineering techniques provide promising therapeutic solutions to these inconveniences through development of engineered equiva-lents that best imitate adipose tissue, both structurally and functionally. Here we review the latest achievements in the human adipose tissue engineering field, with a focus on its regenerative potential for a number of clinical applications.