Fat, bone marrow, and umbilical cord are not three doors into the same room. The stem cells and stromal cells drawn from each carry different markers and fall under different federal analyses. That difference decides what is approved, what is only studied, and what an advertisement may say.
TLDR Source tissue is not a detail. The only FDA-approved mesenchymal stromal cell product is bone marrow derived, and the approved cord blood products are blood forming, not mesenchymal. No adipose-derived product is FDA approved for any disease. Adipose tissue banking preserves a patient’s own tissue and does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit from any future therapy, trial, or program.
Important Disclaimer: Save My Fat does not provide FDA-approved treatments or cures for any disease. Banking adipose tissue today does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit from any future therapy, clinical trial, or medical program. All content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Patients must consult their own licensed healthcare professionals regarding all medical decisions.
One label covers all three sources, as if the source did not matter. It does.
A cell from fat is not a cell from marrow, and the approval record settles that.
What the only approved mesenchymal product proves
Approvals attach to a source, not a category. The only FDA-approved mesenchymal stromal cell product is RYONCIL (remestemcel-L-rknd). FDA’s approval announcement is dated December 2024, and the approval covers steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease in pediatric patients 2 months and older. Its package insert says the cells are “isolated from the bone marrow of healthy human adult donors.”
Cord blood points elsewhere. FDA’s consumer alert describes the approved stem cell products as “blood-forming stem cells … derived from umbilical cord blood,” approved for disorders of blood production only. FDA’s roster of approved cellular therapy products lists no adipose-derived product for any disease.
How adipose stem cells differ from marrow cells
By markers and proportion. The IFATS and ISCT statement on adipose cells proposes CD36 (GPIIIb) and CD106 (VCAM-1) to tell the two apart, because “ASCs, in contrast to MSCs, do not express CD106 but are positive for CD36.” ASC means adipose-derived stromal and stem cells. ISCT’s nomenclature position asks that the acronym MSC be “supplemented by tissue-source origin of the cells.”
Proportion is the other half. The stromal vascular fraction, or SVF, is what remains after adipose tissue is processed, and Table II of that statement reports its makeup.
| Cell population | Share (percent) |
|---|---|
| Stem and progenitor cells | Under 0.1 |
| Granulocytes | 10 to 15 |
| Monocytes | 5 to 15 |
| Lymphocytes | 10 to 15 |
| Endothelial cells | 10 to 20 |
| Pericytes | 3 to 5 |
| Stromal cells | 15 to 30 |
Stem and progenitor cells sit under 0.1 percent of that fraction. The authors also note that “the information in this table represents recommended guidelines only and is not to be construed as industry standards or regulatory definitions at this time.”
Why the source decides what an advertisement can say
Because the federal criteria are built around the tissue and its processing, and advertising is named inside them. Under 21 CFR 1271.10, a product stays in the lighter regulatory tier only if it meets four criteria, one turning on “the labeling, advertising, or other indications of the manufacturer’s objective intent.”
FDA’s current guidance classifies adipose as a structural tissue, so isolating SVF is “generally considered more than minimally manipulated,” and using adipose tissue for a degenerative, inflammatory, or demyelinating disorder “would generally be considered a non-homologous use.” That analysis was written for fat.
What Save My Fat does, and what it does not promise
It connects patients and providers with a United States tissue bank. Save My Fat does not collect, process, store, or treat tissue, and it is not a clinic, not a bank, and not a medical practice. A licensed physician performs any collection.
The promise is narrow on purpose. Banking preserves a patient’s own adipose tissue for potential future use and guarantees no eligibility, access, or clinical benefit later. Anything derived from it, including SVF, is investigational, early in study, and not on FDA’s approved list for any disease. Start with a licensed provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are adipose stem cells the same as bone marrow stem cells?
No. They come from different tissue, and published markers separate them. ISCT clarified in 2005 that such cells “do not seem to meet generally accepted criteria for stem cell activity,” which makes the popular name “potentially misleading to the lay public.”
Is adipose tissue banking a treatment?
No. It is preservation and storage of a patient’s own tissue, and our adipose tissue banking guide covers the process. Any future use depends on FDA regulatory status, physician guidance, and the pathways available then.
Key Takeaways
Source is not a footnote. The one approved mesenchymal stromal cell product comes from bone marrow, and the approved cord blood products are blood forming rather than mesenchymal. Nothing derived from adipose tissue is FDA approved for any disease. Inside processed fat, stem and progenitor cells sit under 0.1 percent. Banking preserves a patient’s own tissue and guarantees no eligibility, access, or benefit later. Ask your own licensed provider.
Save My Fat operates as a tissue preservation service, not a medical practice or treatment provider. Stem cell and regenerative medicine regulations vary by state, including specific informed-consent and disclosure requirements in Florida, Utah, and Nevada governing tissue and stem cell services. Banking adipose tissue does not connect patients to any treatment pathway, and any future use depends on FDA regulatory status, physician guidance, and the availability of approved or investigational pathways at that time.
Readers weighing adipose tissue banking for potential future use can review current pricing or start a conversation through the contact page.
Save My Fat partners with L2 Bio for laboratory processing and storage.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Legal and medical review including neurology and neurosurgery input is required before publication. Please consult your neurologist or neurosurgeon before making any decisions about adipose tissue banking or research participation.
About the author: Oscar Tellez is the founder and CEO of Save My Fat. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Florida Atlantic University. He has spent more than a decade in the regenerative medicine industry across product distribution, laboratory and vendor relationships, and provider training. He is not a licensed clinician, and this article is educational, not medical advice.
Related guide: the stem cell science glossary.
