Engineering stem cell cardiac patch with microvascular features representative of native myocardium.

Unlabelled: The natural myocardium is a highly aligned tissue with an oriented vasculature. Its characteristic cellular as well as nanoscale extracellular matrix (ECM) organization along with an oriented vascular network ensures appropriate blood supply and functional performance. Although significant efforts have been made to develop anisotropic cardiac structure, currently neither an ideal biomaterial nor an effective vascularization strategy to engineer oriented and high-density capillary-like microvessels has been achieved for clinical cardiovascular therapies.

Tissue Engineering at the Blood-Contacting Surface: A Review of Challenges and Strategies in Vascular Graft Development.

Tissue engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) are beginning to achieve clinical success and hold promise as a source of grafting material when donor grafts are unsuitable or unavailable. Significant technological advances have generated small-diameter TEVGs that are mechanically stable and promote functional remodeling by regenerating host cells. However, developing a biocompatible blood-contacting surface remains a major challenge.

Protocols for Full Thickness Skin Wound Repair Using Prevascularized Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheet.

Split thickness skin grafts (STSGs) are one of the standard treatments available for full thickness wound repair when full thickness grafts (FTGs) are not viable, such as in the case of wounds with large surface areas. The donor sites of STSGs may be harvested repeatedly, but STSG transplants are still limited by insufficient blood supply at the early stages of wound healing. Prevascularized human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) sheets may accelerate wound healing and improve regeneration by providing preformed vessel structures and angiogenic factors to overcome this limitation.