Development of small tissue engineered blood vessels and their clinical and research applications

Since the first tissue engineered blood vessel (TEBV) was developed, different approaches, biomaterial scaffolds and cell sources have been used to obtain an engineered vessel as much similar as native vessels in terms of structure, functionality and mechanical properties. At the same time, diverse needs to obtain a functional TEBV have emerged, such as for blood vessel replacement for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) to be used as artery bypass, to vascularize tissue engineered constructs, or even to model vascular diseases or drug testing. In this review, after briefly describing the native structure and function of arteries, we will give an overview of different biomaterials, cells and methods that have been used during the last years for the development of small TEBV (1-6 mm diameter). The importance of perfusing the TEBV to acquire functionality and maturation will be also discussed. Finally, we will center the review on TEBV applications beyond their use as vascular graft for CVDs.