Vascular Tissue Engineering

Bypass grafts are an effective technique of salvaging the circulation to ischaemic brain, heart and muscle tissue. Suitable autologous arterial and vein grafts are limited while synthetic grafts are too unreliable. In the quest for an alternative 'off-the-shelf' graft-source, scientists and surgeons are increasingly investigating the vast potential of vascular tissue engineering. This chapter reviews the history of vascular tissue engineering, the scaffold types employed and the traditional and alternative manufacturing approaches used. Construct enhancement through seeding mature vascular cells is examined as is the potential employment of adult, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. The role of mechanotransduction is also considered.