Cardiovascular tissue engineering I. Perfusion bioreactors: a review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Science and Technology
• Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Hemodynamics critically influences cardiovascular system development and function.
• Perfusion bioreactors are vital for cardiovascular tissue engineering, building on extracorporeal circulation successes.
• Bioreactors ensure viability, maturation, and monitoring of engineered tissues and organs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status of bioreactor technology in cardiovascular tissue engineering.
• To identify unsolved problems and challenges in bioreactor design and application.
• To outline future trends and developments in the field.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and technological advancements in bioreactors for cardiovascular tissue engineering.
• Analysis of current challenges and limitations in bioreactor design and performance.
• Identification of areas for future research and development.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in perfusion bioreactor design for blood vessels, heart valves, and myocardial patches.
• Key challenges remain, including creating triple perfusion systems, developing fluidic minibioreactors, and integrating computational fluid dynamics.
• Development of automatic hydrodynamic control systems and noninvasive biomonitoring systems are crucial.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing bioreactor design and perfusion regimes is necessary for accelerated tissue maturation.
• Addressing current challenges will advance the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering.
• Future developments will focus on improved bioreactor functionality, control, and biomonitoring.