Stem cells from adipose tissue, human Mesenchymal stem cells (hMECs), are used in research on disease. They also hold promise for the regrowth of tissue because they can become many different types of tissue in the body. In a joint study with Vanderbilt University, researchers at UTSI developed a synthetic culture medium that allows cells to maintain “stemness,” or the ability to change into other types of cells and form tissue. Details can be found in the paper “Patterned polymer matrix promotes stemness and cell-cell interaction of adult stem cells,” published October 12, 2015, in the Journal of Biological Engineering. Copies of the paper are available at: http://www.jbioleng.org/content/9/1/18.