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Updated: May 6, 2026
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Tissue Engineering by Intrinsic Vascularization in an In Vivo Tissue Engineering Chamber
Published on: May 30, 2016
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Vascular tissue engineering: from in vitro to in situ
Song Li1, Debanti Sengupta, Shu Chien
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Systems Biology and Medicine
|October 24, 2013
Summary
Vascular tissue engineering addresses blood vessel obstruction and regeneration using advanced cell and material technologies. This systematic review covers innovative approaches for creating functional vascular grafts for improved therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Vascular diseases like atherosclerosis obstruct blood flow, causing tissue ischemia.
- Restoring macrocirculatory flow requires blood vessel replacement, while microcirculatory regeneration relies on angiogenesis.
- Vascular tissue engineering aims to solve these challenges through innovative graft development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review various approaches in vascular graft tissue engineering.
- To explore technologies in cell engineering, materials science, and stem cell biology for blood vessel substitutes.
- To highlight advancements in creating functional vascular grafts for clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on vascular graft tissue engineering techniques.
- Analysis of scaffold materials (native matrix, synthetic polymers, biological materials).
- Evaluation of cell types used (endothelial, smooth muscle, fibroblasts, stem cells, reprogrammed cells).
Main Results:
- Tissue-engineered vascular grafts can be constructed in vitro using bioreactors or in vivo via autologous harvesting.
- Off-the-shelf, non-thrombogenic grafts are engineered to promote in situ regeneration using host cells.
- Significant progress has been made, leading to preclinical and clinical trials.
Conclusions:
- Vascular tissue engineering offers promising solutions for macro- and microcirculatory repair.
- Advancements in micro-/nanotechnology and stem cell engineering are key drivers.
- Future strategies will focus on innovative therapies for vascular regeneration.
