Tailoring adipose stem cells towards high therapeutic performance: Perspectives in manipulation and manufacturing

•Adipose stem cells (ASCs) with self-renewal ability and multi-linage differentiation potential have gained broad tractions.•Complete understanding of therapeutic mechanism is necessary to unlock the full potential of ASCs.•Clarity in heterogeneity enables ASCs to be advantageously tailored for different situations.•Engineering/manufacturing strategies will enhance the therapeutic performance of ASCs.