Adipose tissue-derived stem cell sheets for tissue repair

Impaired tissue healing has become a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Although research advances in the field have led to solutions that have been effective in improving patient care, the economic burden and an aging population call for allocation of a higher level of attention and resources. Using stem cells in cell-based therapies could provide an alternative treatment option. Mesenchymal stem cells such as adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASC) can enhance tissue healing by their paracrine potential and ability to modulate inflammatory responses. Traditionally, ASC were delivered to injured tissues via injection or scaffold-based constructs. This thesis explored a relatively new method for ASC application to injured tissues: adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASC) cultured in a cell sheet (ASC sheet). The rationale of this method is that applying the ASCs as a sheet improves their retention and engraftment after transplantation. In addition, it might avoid a foreign body response. However, detailed information on ASC sheet therapeutic potential in the healing of various tissues is limited. This body of work attempts to provide insight in the mechanisms by which ASC sheet can contribute to tissue repair. In addition, this thesis describes the methodology and effects of transplantation of ASC sheet in an in vivo intestinal disease model for the first time.