Development of Tissue Engineered Small Diameter Vascular Grafts Employing Autologous Progenitor Cells

摘要

Our studies have led to the development of a graft material that has excellent physical and mechanical properties that closely resemble the natural vasculature. By incorporating EPC recruiting and differentiating cytokines, we have shown that the lumen of the SDVGs can be endothelialized by selective recruitment of EPCs and their differentiation into endothelial cells. In future, specific cytokines capable of recruiting EPCs as well as facilitating smooth muscle cell proliferation can be incorporated in the SDVGs to develop a fully functional, transplantable SDVG that is developed using the patient's own cells.