Intrinsic Functional 3D Micro- and Macrovascular Structures for Cadiovascular Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Introduction: The most fundamental problem facing cardiac therapy, unlike vascular grafts and heart valves, is to repair and/or regenerate the damaged myocardium. Restricted myocardial regeneration after tissue damage and shortage of donor organs for cardiac transplantation are the major constraints of conventional therapies. The most daunting task in the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering is the creation and/or regeneration of an in vitro engineered cardiac muscle; tissue engineering is associated with two common underlying concerns for clinical applicability, viz., contractility and thickness. However, both the thickness and the contractility of the derived cardiac tissue are dependent on the vascularity of the construct.