title: Building vascular networks.
abstract: Only a few engineered tissues-skin, cartilage, bladder-have achieved clinical success, and biomaterials designed to replace more complex organs are still far from commercial availability. This gap exists in part because biomaterials lack a vascular network to transfer the oxygen and nutrients necessary for survival and integration after transplantation. Thus, generation of a functional vasculature is essential to the clinical success of engineered tissue constructs and remains a key challenge for regenerative medicine. In this Perspective, we discuss recent advances in vascularization of biomaterials through the use of biochemical modification, exogenous cells, or microengineering technology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Biomedical Engineering and Institute of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hojae
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Amey S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Puranik
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gauvin
authors.forename: Faramarz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Edalat
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carrillo-Conde
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Peppas
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khademhosseini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials