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Updated: Aug 29, 2026
Surgical Technique for the Implantation of Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts and Subsequent In Vivo Monitoring
Published on: April 3, 2015
The use of animal models in developing the discipline of cardiovascular tissue engineering: a review
S Tawqeer Rashid1, Henryk J Salacinski, George Hamilton
1Tissue Engineering Centre, University Department of Surgery, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG, UK.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the major causes of death and disability in the Western world. Tissue engineering offers the prospect of being able to meet the demand for replacement of heart valves, vessels for coronary and lower limb bypass surgery and the generation of cardiac tissue for addition to the diseased heart. In order to test prospective tissue-engineered devices, these constructs must first be proven in animal models before receiving CE marking or FDA approval for a clinical trial. The choice of animal depends on the nature of the tissue-engineered construct being tested. Factors that need to be considered include technical requirements of implanting the construct, availability of the animal, cost and ethical considerations. In this paper, we review the history of animal studies in cardiovascular tissue engineering and the uses of animal tissue as sources for tissue engineering.
