Advancing vascular tissue engineering: the role of stem cell technology.
Atherosclerosis and heart disease are still the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The lack of suitable autologous grafts has produced a need for artificial grafts but the patency of such grafts is limited compared to natural materials. Tissue engineering, whereby living tissue replacements can be constructed, has emerged as a solution to some of these difficulties. This, in turn, is limited by the availability of suitable cells from which to construct the vessels. The development of prosthesis using progenitor cells and switching these into endothelial cells is an important and exciting advance in the field of tissue engineering. Here, we describe recent developments in the use of stem cells for the development of replacement vessels. These paradigm shifts in vascular engineering now offer a new route for effective clinical therapy.
Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering Centre (BTEC), Academic Division of Surgical and Interventional Sciences, University College London, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK.
Kevin M
KM
Sales
Henryk J
HJ
Salacinski
Nasser
N
Alobaid
Michael
M
Mikhail
Vishni
V
Balakrishnan
Alexander M
AM
Seifalian
D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013234:Stem Cells; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*