The evolution of tissue engineered vascular grafts: from research to clinical practice

There is a considerable need for alternatives to the autologous vein and artery tissues used for vascular reconstructive surgeries such as CABG, lower limb bypass, arteriovenous shunts and repair of congenital defects of the pulmonary outflow tract. So far, synthetic materials have not matched the efficacy of native tissues, particularly small diameter applications. We have developed a completely autologous approach called sheet based tissue engineering.