Decellularization of tissues has recently emerged as a major player in the field of regenerative medicine and offers the possibility of producing a scaffold that closely mimics the physical and chemical cues seen by cells in vivo. Materials produced in this manner often have positive angiogenic and chemoattractant properties. Despite the availability of several injectable materials, there has yet to be identified an engineered material that avoids immune complications and encourages new fat formation. And while many tissues share similar extracellular matrix (ECM) elements, each tissue has its own complex composition and concentration of chemical constituents, which are known to regulate numerous cell processes including attachment, survival, migration, proliferation, and differentiation.

There continues to be a need for improved compositions for loose connective tissue repair, regeneration and cell culturing that will closely mimic the complexity of natural adipose extracellular matrix.

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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated the feasibility of human lipoaspirate as a minimally-invasive option for adipose tissue engineering. Specifically, they have developed a new method and compositions using decellularized and delipidized extracellular matrix derived from adipose for tissue engineering (e.g. filling soft tissue defects, and cosmetic and reconstructive surgery). The adipose matrix is derived from the lipoaspirate (liposuction of the adipose or loose connective tissue).