In-vitro synthesis of elastin sheets on crosslinked hyaluronan gels for tissue engineering of aortic valves

The complex three-layered structure of aortic valve cusps is organized from collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin. Our approach to tissue engineering the aortic valve is to fabricate a functional composite tissue from each layer grown separately in vitro. This paper summarizes our efforts to fabricate the viscoelastic spongiosa, and the elastin-rich ventricularis.