Patent Publication Number: US-2021181068-A1

Title: Adipose tissue particle processing, transfer and storage system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/119,930 entitled “ADIPOSE TISSUE PARTICLE PROCESSING, TRANSFER AND STORAGE SYSTEM” filed on Dec. 11, 2020 by R. Hogue, which in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/946,701 entitled “ADIPOSE TISSUE PARTICLE PROCESSING, TRANSFER AND STORAGE SYSTEM” filed on Dec. 11, 2019 by R. Hogue. Both U.S. application Ser. No. 17/119,930 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/946,701 are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods for processing, transferring and storing adipose tissue, such as fat aspirate obtained by liposuction. 
     Adipose tissue, or body fat, is loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes, such as fat cells, along with a vast array of regenerative cell populations, including adipose-derived stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells, which have tremendous potential benefits for human tissue regeneration. 
     In order to harvest adipose tissue or fat aspirate containing regenerative call populations such as adipocyte-derived stem cells, a minimally-invasive treatment that uses tumescent liposuction techniques to harvest fat tissue as lipoaspirate can be used. Additional processing steps are routinely used following the initial harvesting procedure (i.e., tumescent liposuction), including fat aspirate particle sizing (micro-fragmenting or micronizing), filtering (removal of sinuate, connective tissue strands, and coarse debris), separating and concentrating (via gravity decanting or centrifugation to separate, isolate and remove water, blood, and oil from viable fat aspirate particles) in order to create an autologous fat graft that can be used for injection or deployment during an autologous fat grafting (fat transfer) treatment for the purpose of aesthetic (cosmetic) and/or regenerative purposes. Autologous fat grafting and/or autologous regenerative treatments containing autologous fat aspirate particles are used for cosmetic and/or therapeutic rejuvenation, restoration, and repair of aging or degenerative tissues such as the skin, hair, face, body, breasts, cleavage, dorsum of hands, soft tissue, wounds, scars, musculoskeletal tissues, vocal cords, and genitalia. 
     Currently, several procedures exist for processing (sizing, filtering, separating, and concentrating) fat aspirate particles. One such procedure involves placing the fat aspirate inside a chamber having many small steel balls immersed in saline. The chamber is then shaken whereby the steel balls micro-fragment the fat aspirate while the saline cleans it. This procedure can result in pulverization and indiscriminate sizing of the fat particles due to the high variability in shaking the chamber. Other procedures entail passing the fat aspirate back-and-forth many times across a mesh-like surface or screen with a square-shaped pattern to micronize the particles by using luer-to-luer syringe transfer. This processing can severely mechanically traumatize the fat aspirate particles and destroy the adipocytes, as well as be time consuming and physically straining. As a result, there is a need for systems and methods that result in improved processing (sizing, filtering, separating and concentrating) of fat aspirate obtained by liposuction harvesting using single-pass precision outer dimensional sizing and filtering to create optimally purified and viable micro-fragmented adipose tissue for clinical deployment in fat transfer cosmetic and/or regenerative procedures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings are intended to illustrate embodiments of, but not to limit, the present invention. In the drawings, like reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout similar embodiments. 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an adipose tissue particle processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate the assembly of the adipose tissue particle processing system shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a filter screen assembly for use in an adipose tissue particle processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate a cap/bushing for use in an adipose tissue particle processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a transfer cannula that may be used with an adipose tissue particle processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cannula cleaner that may be used with an adipose tissue particle processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating a process for sizing adipose tissue particles through a filter screen assembly with a transfer cannula according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 8A-8E  illustrate a transfer cannula at various depths in a filter screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a flow diagram illustrating a process of successively reducing the size of adipose tissue particles by repeatedly performing the process of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides an adipose tissue particle processing system that allows a physician to process (precision size by micro-fragmentation, and filter and remove debris and strands) adipose tissue into controlled fat aspirate particle sizes for use in autologous fat transfer and/or autologous regenerative treatments containing the autologous fat aspirate particles. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate adipose tissue particle processing system  10  that includes a filter screen assembly  12  (which is also shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 ) positioned to extend into a container (for example, plastic centrifuge tube  14 , although other suitable containers may be used in other embodiments) through cap/bushing  16 .  FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate the assembly of the filter screen assembly  12  extending through cap/bushing  16  into the interior of centrifuge tube  14  of adipose tissue particle processing system  10 . Filter screen assembly  12  includes screen portion  17  that is made up of a plurality of apertures  18  that have diameters selected for processing adipose tissue into controlled fat aspirate particle sizes. In the embodiment shown (see  FIG. 3  in particular), the distal end of filter screen assembly  12  has female luer fitting  19 , which allows male luer cap  20  to be attached to close the distal end of filter screen assembly  12  during use. Other methods or configurations for providing a closed distal end of filter screen assembly  12  during use may be used in alternative embodiments. 
     Also, in the embodiment shown (see  FIGS. 2A and 2B  in particular), filter screen assembly  12  includes male threads  22  near its proximal end, and cap/bushing  16  includes female threads  24  that are configured to receive male threads  22  of filter screen assembly  12 , to secure filter screen assembly  12  to cap/bushing  16  so that screen portion  17  is suspended in the interior of centrifuge tube  14  when cap/bushing  16  is positioned on the top of centrifuge tube  14 . In other embodiments, filter screen assembly  12  could alternatively be connected to a luer fitting or threaded fitting on cap/bushing  16 , or could be integrally formed (e.g., by welding or adhesive connection) with cap/bushing  16 . 
     In the embodiment shown, centrifuge tube  14  is made of clear plastic, and has a tapered configuration from its top (where cap/bushing  16  is provided) to its bottom (where a conical tapered end is provided). This is a common configuration for a plastic centrifuge tube, which is readily manufactured by injection molding, for example. In an alternative embodiment, a zero-draft, cylindrical plastic centrifuge tube may be constructed and used, which has no taper from the top to the bottom of the tube, and which has a flat bottom surface rather than a conical tapered end. With such a construction, the cylindrical plastic centrifuge tube could be used with the system described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/295,695 entitled “Aspirating Separated Liquid Components From A Vessel” filed on Mar. 7, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In the system described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/295,695, a diaphragm is slidably coupleable to the hollow inner portion of the centrifuge tube, and allows liquid contained in the centrifuge tube to be selectively and controllably aspirated out of the centrifuge tube through the diaphragm. 
     Centrifuge tube  14  shown in  FIGS. 1A-2B  is a 50 mL tube, but it should be understood that larger or smaller sizes and volumes of containers./centrifuge tubes may be used in other embodiments. 
     In the embodiment shown (see  FIGS. 4A and 4B  in particular), cap/bushing  16  is made of plastic, and has a threaded central aperture (having female threads  24 ) that engages with male threads  22  of filter screen assembly  12 , so that screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12  is supported and suspended inside centrifuge tube  14 . In the embodiment shown, cap/bushing  16  is formed with a configuration that allows cap/bushing  16  to slip over male threads  26  at the top of centrifuge tube  14  (rather than threadedly engaging with male threads  26  at the top of centrifuge tube  14 , as a standard lid for centrifuge tube  14  would do). With cap/bushing  16  configured to slip over male threads  26  at the top of centrifuge tube  14 , venting is provided to allow depositing and aspirating of material to/from centrifuge tube  14 , due to the non-airtight fitting between cap/bushing  16  and centrifuge tube  14 . In alternative embodiments, cap/bushing  16  may have female threads which are threadedly engaged with male threads  26  at the top of centrifuge tube  14 , thereby providing an airtight coupling between them, and cap/bushing  16  may be further designed to include venting apertures in its disc-shaped face, with a suitable air-permeable membrane, such as a 0.2-micron filter in some examples, to prevent liquid material from escaping through cap/bushing  16 . In some alternative embodiments, cap/bushing  16  may be formed of stainless steel (with any of the variations of configurations described above), and may be a reusable component. 
     Exemplary dimensions for the various features of cap/bushing  16  are shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . It should be understood that these dimensions are provided to illustrate one example of cap/bushing  16 , and that the configuration of the features of cap/bushing  16  may have other dimensions either larger or smaller than the dimensions listed in other embodiments. 
     Apertures  18  in screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12  may be formed in by laser drilling in some embodiments. Example sizes/diameters of apertures  18  may be as large as 4.0 millimeters, as small as 0.2 millimeters, any size/diameter in between, or sizes/diameters larger than 4.0 millimeters or smaller than 0.2 millimeters, depending on the application in which the adipose tissue particle processing system  10  is used. 
     In one example, screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12  may have an outer diameter of about 0.259 inches (about 6.58 millimeters). In other examples, screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12  may have larger or smaller radial dimensions. In some embodiments, filter screen assembly  12  is composed of stainless steel. 
     In various embodiments, some of the components of adipose tissue particle sizing system  10  are designed to be reusable components (typically made of stainless steel), while other components are designed to be single-use, disposable components (typically made of plastic). In this context, components described as reusable are capable of being cleaned and sterilized multiple times, such as be a sterilizing autoclave, by enzyme treatment, or by other methods, while single-use, disposable components are provided in sterile packaging for a single use. 
     In operation, as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , female luer fitting  28  at the proximal end of filter screen assembly  12  is configured to allow coupling to the outlet of syringe  30 , which can contain tissue material to be processed by adipose tissue particle processing system  10 . Once syringe  30  is coupled to adipose tissue particle processing system  10 , tissue material may be transferred into adipose tissue particle processing system  10  by pressing plunger  32  of syringe  30 . This causes adipose tissue material to pass into the interior of screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12 , with the distal end of filter screen assembly  12  being closed by luer cap  20 , so that fat aspirate particles in the adipose tissue material are forced to pass from the interior of filter screen assembly  12  through apertures  18  of screen portion  17  into the interior of centrifuge tube  14 . The fat aspirate particles are effectively “filtered” and “sized” (micro-fragmented) by sieve filtering and shearing force by apertures  18  of screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12 , to a size that is determined by the size of apertures  18 , while undesired sinuate, connective tissue strands, and coarse debris are not able to pass through apertures  18 . 
     Once the micro-fragmented “sized” fat aspirate particles are transferred through screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12  into centrifuge tube  14 , then centrifuge tube  14  may be prepared for centrifugation, by removing components of adipose tissue particle processing system  10 , and replacing cap/bushing  16  with a conventional threaded lid. After the micro-fragmented fat aspirate particles are separated by either gravity decantation, or by centrifugation in a centrifuge system, various separated components may be aspirated from centrifuge tube  14 . In some embodiments, aspiration may be performed by inserting a transfer cannula into the interior of centrifuge tube  14  and aspirating material through the transfer cannula with a syringe coupled to the transfer cannula (as illustrated in  FIG. 5  as transfer cannula  60 ). The transfer cannula shown in  FIG. 5  may be a 6-inch or 12-inch length cannula with a female luer-lock connector on its proximal end and an approximately 0.146-inch (3.7 mm) outer diameter cylindrical tubular blunt tip on its distal end In other embodiments, where centrifuge tube  14  has a zero-draft, cylindrical configuration, the method described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/295,695 may be used, where a diaphragm is slidably coupleable to the hollow inner portion of centrifuge tube  14 , and allows liquid contained in centrifuge tube  14  to be selectively and controllably aspirated out of centrifuge tube  14  through the diaphragm. 
     Filter screen assembly  12  may be cleaned after use by removing male luer cap  20  from the distal end, and inserting a cannula cleaner that is configured with projecting surfaces such as convex fins into the interior of filter screen assembly  12 . Cleaning is performed by scraping, dislodging, and removing debris and contaminants when making direct physical contact with the interior of a cannula device when moved back-and-forth following use of the cannula device, to be moved back and forth to cause frictional engagement with filter screen assembly  12  for cleaning. The cannula cleaner may be made of medical-grade nylon in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the cannula cleaner may be configured as shown and described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/855,167 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Cleaning the Interior Cannula of Suction Lipoplasty Cannula Devices and Adipose Tissue and/or Fluid Particle Sizing Devices,” filed on May 31, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8A-8E  illustrate an exemplary process for transferring adipose tissue particles through a filter screen assembly, in which partial clogging of the filter screen assembly is dealt with in a manner that still allows the adipose tissue particles to pass through the filter screen assembly.  FIG. 7  is a flow diagram illustrating the process for transferring adipose tissue particles through filter screen assembly  12  using a successively withdrawn transfer cannula  60 .  FIGS. 8A-8E  illustrate transfer cannula  60  at various depths in filter screen assembly  12 , to show how transfer cannula  60  is successively withdrawn during the course of the process to transfer adipose tissue through filter screen assembly  12  into container  14 . While container  14  is described and illustrated in the present disclosure as being a plastic centrifuge tube, it should be understood that container  14  may be any suitable container for collecting processed fat aspirate particles that pass through the filter screen assembly  12 . Container  14  should be a transparent container, to allow a clinician to see the interior of container  14  during processing and control the process accordingly. 
     As an initial step, a collected sample of adipose tissue particles is provided in one or more syringes, and a transfer cannula is attached to the output of a syringe, so that the adipose tissue sample in the syringe can be output through the transfer cannula.  FIGS. 8A-8E  show syringe  30  connected to transfer cannula  60 . In various embodiments, transfer cannula may be the same transfer cannula shown and described above with respect to  FIG. 5 , or may be a different transfer cannula that has the same or a different length. Then, to begin the process of transferring adipose tissue particles into container  14 , transfer cannula  60  is inserted through the opening of female luer fitting  28  at the proximal end of filter screen assembly  12 , and is extended into the interior of filter screen assembly  12  (step  40 ,  FIG. 7 ). This is shown in  FIG. 8A  with transfer cannula  60  extending into the interior of filter screen assembly  12  until reaching or nearly reaching luer cap  20  at the distal end of filter screen assembly  12 , where transfer cannula  60  can be seen through all of apertures  18  in filter screen assembly  12 . In some embodiments, transfer cannula  60  has a length that is sufficiently long to reach all the way to luer cap  20  at the distal end of filter screen assembly, while in some other embodiments, transfer cannula  60  has a length that is specially configured so that the distal end of transfer cannula  60 , when fully inserted into filter screen assembly  12 , does not reach luer cap  20  at the distal end of filter screen assembly. In some exemplary embodiments, there is a clearance of a few microns (approximately 5 microns in one particular example, to provide a friction fit) between the outer diameter of transfer cannula  60  and the inner diameter of the opening of female luer fitting  28 , to allow for easy but secure insertion. In some exemplary embodiments, there is a clearance of a few microns (approximately 5 microns in one particular example, to provide a friction fit) between the outer diameter of transfer cannula  60  and the inner diameter of filter screen assembly  12 . This ensures that adipose tissue particles expelled from the distal end of transfer cannula  60  cannot migrate up inside filter screen assembly  12  beyond the distal end of transfer cannula  60 , and will instead be forced to pass through apertures  18  of filter screen assembly  12  that are below the distal end of transfer cannula  60 . 
     In order for adipose tissue particles to be able to pass through the apertures of filter screen assembly  12 , transfer cannula  60  is positioned by a clinician so that the distal end or transfer cannula is located just above the first unclogged apertures  18  of filter screen assembly  12  (step  41 ,  FIG. 7 ). This is done by a clinician holding the syringe  30  with the transfer cannula  60  attached thereto, and is shown in  FIG. 8B , where transfer cannula  60  can be seen through all but the bottom (distal) 20% (approximately) of apertures  18  in filter screen assembly  12 . As was noted above, in some embodiments, the initial position of the distal end of transfer cannula  60  may be similar to the illustration in  FIG. 8B , with some of the bottom apertures  18  in filter screen assembly  12  unobstructed by transfer cannula  60 , due to the specially configured length of transfer cannula  60 . While in the position shown in  FIG. 8B , a clinician then depresses the plunger of syringe  30  to expel the adipose tissue particles out of transfer cannula  60 , and into the interior of screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12 , with the distal end of filter screen assembly  12  being closed by luer cap  20 . This causes fat aspirate particles in the adipose tissue material that exit from transfer cannula  60  to be forced to pass from the interior of filter screen assembly  12  through apertures  18  of screen portion  17  into the interior of container  14  (step  42 ,  FIG. 7 ). Specifically, the fat aspirate particles in the adipose tissue material that exit from transfer cannula  60  pass through the bottom (distal) 20% of apertures  18  that are not obstructed by transfer cannula  60 . The fat aspirate particles are effectively “filtered” and “sized” (micro-fragmented) by sieve filtering and shearing force by apertures  18  of screen portion  17  of filter screen assembly  12 , to a size that is determined by the size of apertures  18 , while undesired sinuate, connective tissue strands, and coarse debris are not able to pass through apertures  18 . 
     While adipose tissue particles are being transferred into container  14  through filter screen assembly  12 , the clinician monitors the process to determine whether the container  14  is full (step  44 ). When container  14  is full, the particle transfer process is paused. The clinician then removes transfer cannula  60  from filter screen assembly  12  and removes filter screen assembly  12  from container  14  (step  45 ), and determines whether there are additional containers that need to be filled (step  46 ). If no further containers need to be filled, the process is over. If there are additional containers to be filled, filter screen assembly  12  is inserted into the next container  14  (step  47 ), and the process returns to step  40 , in which the clinician inserts transfer cannula  60  attached to syringe  30  into the interior of filter screen assembly  12 . 
     Also, while adipose tissue particles are being transferred into container  14  through filter screen assembly  12 , the clinician monitors the process to determine whether syringe  30  is empty (step  48 ). If syringe  30  is empty, the clinician removes transfer cannula  60  from filter screen assembly  12  and disconnects transfer cannula  60  from (empty) syringe  30  (step  49 ). The clinician then determines whether there are additional syringes containing adipose tissue that needs to be sized (step  50 ). If there are no further adipose tissue samples that need to be sized, the process is over. If there are additional syringes containing adipose tissue to be sized, the clinician attaches transfer cannula  60  to the next syringe  30  (step  52 ), and the process returns to step  40 , in which the clinician inserts transfer cannula  60  attached to syringe  30  into the interior of filter screen assembly  12 . 
     If syringe  30  is not empty, the clinician continues to monitor the process to determine whether apertures  18  of filter screen assembly  12  adjacent to the distal end of transfer cannula  60  are clogged (step  54 ). Depending on the nature of the adipose tissue being processed, the volume of syringe  30 , the volume of container  14 , and the total amount of samples of adipose tissue particles to be sized, apertures  18  in filter screen assembly  12  may begin to become clogged with sinuate or other material that is filtered by filter screen assembly  12  during the adipose tissue sizing process. If the monitoring clinician determines that apertures  18  are not clogged, then the clinician continues to depress the plunger of syringe  30  to expel adipose tissue through filter screen assembly  12 , illustrated by the process looping back to step  42  and continuing to be monitored by decision steps  44 ,  48  and  54 . If apertures  18  are clogged, the clinician repositions transfer cannula  60  within filter screen assembly  12  so that the distal end of transfer cannula  60  is located just above higher, unlogged apertures  18  of filter screen assembly (step  41 ). This concept is illustrated in  FIGS. 8B-8E , where transfer cannula  60  is successively withdrawn to positions where approximately 20% ( FIG. 8B ), 40% ( FIG. 8C ), 60% ( FIG. 8D ) and 80% ( FIG. 8E ) of apertures  80  are unobstructed by transfer cannula  60 . As filter screen assembly  12  becomes more clogged during the process of transferring adipose tissue material to container  14 , the clinician will insert transfer cannula  60  to a lesser and lesser extent within filter screen assembly  12  (as shown by the illustrations from left to right in  FIGS. 8A-8E ), to ensure that adipose tissue particles are able to pass through unclogged apertures  18  and be sized by filter screen assembly  12 . 
     If all of the apertures  18  of filter screen assembly  12  are clogged (that is, the top/proximal-most apertures  18  are clogged), then it is necessary to replace filter screen assembly  12  with a new filter screen assembly  12  in order to continue the process. That is, the process is stopped in order to insert a new filter screen assembly  12  into container  14 , and the process then begins again by inserting transfer cannula  60  through the opening of female luer fitting  28  at the proximal end of filter screen assembly  12 , to extend into the interior of filter screen assembly  12  (step  40 ,  FIG. 7 ). 
     The process shown in  FIG. 7  may be (and typically must be) repeated for multiple successive sizing steps, to reduce the size of adipose tissue particles from a relatively large size to a significantly smaller size, while filtering larger particles, sinuate, etc., and while avoiding damage to the fat aspirate particles that are sized. This successive/repeated sizing process is illustrated in  FIG. 9 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , adipose tissue material is initially obtained/provided (step  70 ), and then the process of  FIG. 7  is performed using an initial filter screen (having apertures of an initial size) to size adipose tissue particles to maximum diameters that correspond to the size of the apertures (step  72 ). It is then determined whether the processed adipose tissue particles are sized small enough for the desired application (step  74 ). If the adipose tissue particles have a sufficiently small size, the process ends, and the adipose tissue particles may be used for the desired application. If the adipose tissue particles not yet small enough for the desired application, then the adipose tissue particles are collected and transferred into one or more syringes (step  76 ), and are then processed again by the process of  FIG. 7 , using a filter screen having apertures of a size that is smaller than the apertures of the filter screen used in the previous processing step (step  78 ). Then, it is determined whether the processed adipose tissue particles are sized small enough for the desired application (step  80 ). If the adipose tissue particles have a sufficiently small size, the process ends, and the adipose tissue particles may be used for the desired application. If the adipose tissue particles not yet small enough for the desired application, then the process returns to step  76 , to repeat the steps of transferring the adipose tissue particles to one or more syringes and processing the adipose tissue particles using a filter screen having successively smaller apertures, until the adipose tissue particles have a size that is sufficiently small for the desired application. 
     Several examples of the successive/repeated process illustrated in  FIG. 9  may be considered. In a first example, an initial adipose tissue sample may first be sized via the process of  FIG. 7  (step  72 ) using a filter screen assembly having apertures with a diameter of 2000 microns. Then, the “2000-micron-sized” particles may be further sized via the process of  FIG. 7  using a filter screen assembly having apertures with a diameter of 1000 microns (step  78 ), the “1000-micron-sized” particles may be further sized via the process of  FIG. 7  using a filter screen assembly having apertures with a diameter of 500 microns (step  78 ), the “500-micron-sized” particles may be further sized via the process of  FIG. 7  using a filter screen assembly having apertures with a diameter of 300 microns (step  78 ), and the “300-micron-sized” particles may be further sized via the process of  FIG. 7  using a filter screen assembly having apertures with a diameter of 200 microns (step  78 ). The resulting “200-micron-sized” particles may be used for any of a number of appropriate medical procedures in which fat aspirate particles of that size are desirable and appropriate. In a second example, the sizes of the apertures of filter screens that are successively used to reduce the size of the adipose tissue particles may be 2500 microns-1200 microns-700 microns-500 microns-300 microns-200 microns. In a third example, the sizes of the apertures of filter screens that are successively used to reduce the size of the adipose tissue particles may be 3000 microns-1500 microns-800 microns-500 microns-300 microns-200 microns. It should be understood that the examples of sizes of particles and diameters of apertures  18  of filter screen assembly  12  are provided for illustration purposes, and any suitable sizes of particles can be obtained, using any suitable aperture diameters of filter screen assembly  12 , and any number of successive sizing operations, in various embodiments. 
     In order to transfer intermediate “sized” adipose tissue particles from a centrifuge tube into a syringe for further sizing, in some embodiments, a clinician may insert a clean filter screen assembly  12 , having apertures  18  with the same diameter as was just used to size the adipose tissue particles, into container  14 , with luer cap  20  removed (leaving an open distal end). Then, the clinician takes an empty syringe  30  having transfer cannula  60  attached, and inserts transfer cannula  60  through filter screen assembly  12  to a position at or near the bottom of container  14 . In other embodiments, the clinician may simply insert transfer cannula  60  attached to an empty syringe  30  through the opening of cap/bushing  16  into the interior of container  14 , without using filter screen assembly  12 . In either case, next, the clinician pulls up the plunger of syringe  30 , while slightly repositioning transfer cannula  60  within container  14  as needed, to draw the adipose tissue particles up into syringe  30 . This allows the clinician to fill one or more syringes with the intermediate “sized” adipose tissue particles for further sizing (particle size reduction) in subsequent processes as shown in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 9 . 
     Adipose tissue particle processing system  10  described herein allows adipose tissue material to be micro-fragmented (“sized”) to a controllable fat aspirate particle size, with easy connections of components, in a system that minimizes contamination, spillage, and infection issues, while maintaining an essentially closed system during the processing of tissue and/or fluid. 
     While various components of adipose tissue particle processing system  10  are shown and/or described in the exemplary embodiments herein as integrated, connected, or separate components, it should be understood that in alternative embodiments, components may be integrally formed, connected, and/or separated in different ways than are shown and described herein, all within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Similarly, the sizes and dimensions of components, both in terms of absolute sizes and relative sizes with respect to other components, may be varied from what is shown and described herein, all within the scope of the present invention. 
     While certain example embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions disclosed herein. Thus, nothing in the foregoing description is intended to imply that any particular feature, characteristic, step, module, or block is necessary or indispensable. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions disclosed herein.