Patent ID: 8105580

Claim:
A method of accelerating the healing of a wound of the skin of a subject, comprising: identifying a subject having a wound of the skin; and providing adipose tissue to a self contained adipose-derived stem cell processing unit comprising: a tissue collecting container configured to receive and fully or partially disaggregate adipose tissue, wherein said tissue collecting container is coupled to a cell collection container wherein said coupling defines a closed system in which said fully or partially disaggregated adipose tissue directed from tissue collecting container to cell collection container is not exposed to the external environment; and wherein said cell collection container, further comprises a cell concentrator that facilitates separation of the cells in a suspension; and an outlet that is structured to permit said concentrated population of cells comprising adipose-derived cells to be removed from said stem cell processing unit; obtaining a concentrated population of cells comprising adipose-derived stem cells from said self contained adipose-derived stem cell processing unit; and providing said concentrated population of cells comprising adipose-derived stem cells to said subject in an amount sufficient to accelerate the healing of said wound.